The bad news continues. Recent reports that the Bay State Banner, Boston’s only black-owned newspaper, was forced to take a city loan of $200,000 to stay afloat is further evidence that advertising no longer adequately supports newsgathering. It also shows the very real consequences of the journalism crisis, particularly for underrepresented communities.

In many cases, debt-laden chain newspapers and big metro dailies are hurting more than others. Yet it’s increasingly clear that the problems facing the press are systemic, with the same trends of disappearing ad revenue and lower circulation numbers affecting papers of varying sizes.

The stakes are particularly high for minority-owned media, which serve local communities that mainstream media often ignore. As the Boston Globe points out, the Banner is a “vital community voice” for African Americans, who already have precious few media outlets devoted to their issues and stories.

But how much worse must things get before lawmakers and media owners respond to the writing on the wall? As newspapers decline at an alarming rate, policies that help struggling media organizations transition from advertising-dependent commercial news outlets to low- and nonprofit models are of the utmost importance.

The urgent need for new models should be of particular concern for members of Congress like the House Ways and Means Committee Chair Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.), whose committees would oversee any changes in newspaper tax laws. Another potential champion for reform is Senate Finance Committee member John Kerry (D-Mass.), whose state has seen both its major paper, the Boston Globe, and now a leading African-American paper struggle in recent weeks.

Senator Kerry held a hearing on the future of journalism last May, but has yet to publicly advance any plans for addressing the journalism crisis. Fortunately, there are recent legislative efforts on which to build, like Senator Ben Cardin’s Newspaper Revitalization Act, which would help struggling news organizations transition into nonprofit 501(c)3s. Cardin’s bill would require some tweaking, but it could serve as a starting point for more encompassing legislation that lays out new ownership options for distressed news organizations, including low- and nonprofit models.

Another important model that should be addressed in any newspaper tax law reform is the low-profit limited liability company (L3C). This hybrid would mandate public service from news outlets while allowing them to collect revenue from both private investors and charitable entities. L3Cs are increasingly gaining attention from journalists, academics, philanthropies and communities, but have yet to find willing media owners or champions in Washington, D.C.

In Boston, critics are questioning the Banner’s ongoing independence now that it has been bailed out by a city government whose mayor will soon be running for reelection. These are understandable concerns, though the influence of advertisers and media owners is arguably no less problematic. What’s more, research shows that publicly subsidized media may be no less critical of government than their private counterparts, and are often more ideologically diverse, devoting more attention to news and public affairs, and producing a more informed public.

Nonetheless, one-time bailouts from self-interested politicians are not a long-term solution to the crisis. A better scenario would be to have permanent funds devoted to public media, as well as tax laws to help remove market pressures from news operations.

What this crisis calls for is a structural transition from an advertising-supported, profit-driven media system to a public service-oriented system that always puts the community before profits and doesn’t rise and fall with fluctuations in the market.