D.C.'s proposed tax on advertising would make the local media landscape worse; A new tax would have disastrous consequences for a struggling industry that's a key part of civic life.

Cathy Merrill is chief executive and president of Washingtonian Media, which publishes Washingtonian magazine.

The D.C. Council is on the verge of approving a budget measure that would add a tax on advertising. The bill has good intentions: It aims to plug some of the enormous holes in the city budget caused by the economic crisis that has accompanied the novel coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, this provision of the bill also would have disastrous consequences for a struggling...