The Spokesman-Review will receive $2.4 million in assistance through the federal government’s program to support small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, the newspaper’s publisher announced Wednesday.

“I don’t need to tell you that this takes a huge burden off us in the near term by enabling us to cover payroll and a portion of our rent for the next eight weeks, while advertising sales languish,” W. Stacey Cowles, the publisher of The Spokesman-Review, said in a statement announcing the loan to employees Wednesday.

The Spokesman-Review joins other regional and national publications that have received loans from the government as part of the Paycheck Protection Program, a business assistance program created by Congress as part of its $2 trillion assistance bill originally passed last month.

Lawmakers set aside $349 billion for the program originally, and Congress increased that amount to $670 billion under legislation passed last week.

Other news organizations receiving loans under the program include the Pacific Northwest Inlander, which received a loan of $436,500, its publisher Ted McGregor announced in a column last week. The Seattle Times Co. received a $9.9 million loan, and the Tampa Bay Times received $8.5 million.

Loans are intended to be used for payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent and utilities. Amounts are capped at $10 million by the Treasury Department and are intended to cover up to two months of payroll costs, plus 25%. Companies must maintain their staffing levels in order to qualify for loan forgiveness.

In an effort to curtail costs, The Spokesman-Review ceased publishing a Saturday edition of the print newspaper effective April 25. Cowles said the infusion of cash would help stanch the loss of advertising dollars and avoid workforce reductions.

“Readership is hitting record levels and our hardworking journalists have responded in kind reporting record numbers of local stories on the developing story of COVID-19 and its wide-ranging impact – all while working from home,” Cowles wrote.

The loans come from the federal government, giving some news organizations pause when deciding whether to accept the assistance for fear of appearance of conflict-of-interest in covering politics.

Cowles emphasized in his note that the loan did not come with any promises about the paper’s news coverage.

“Rest assured we would not accept restrictions on what we print,” Cowles wrote. “We remain committed to reporting the news on every level without fear or favor.”