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The News/Media Alliance submitted comments to the Postal Regulatory Commission on November 6 regarding the continuing concern of rate increases on periodicals. The increases are 7.320 percent for Within County Periodical and 1.594 percent for Outside County Periodicals. If approved, those increases will result in compounded increases of 35 percent since August 2021. The Alliance states that the underlying problem facing the Periodicals class is the Postal Service’s chronic inability to control Flats costs. In addition, the Postal Service proposes to continue a 10 percent incentive for Saturation Flats and Letters weighing 2 ounces or less. The Alliance recommended that the Postal Service extend this incentive to High Density Plus Flats.

The post News/Media Alliance Submits Comments on Postal Rate Increases appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

The Alliance urges the Commission to 1) address deficiencies in the Postal Service Flats Plan Pursuant to Section 206 of the PSRA, which falls short of the comprehensive plan to control Flats costs that Congress intended; and 2) highlight that the Service’s Flats Plan fails to include measurable metrics to ensure accountability for its planned reforms.

The post News/Media Alliance Requests Rejection of USPS Flats Plan appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Here is a collection of photos from the day:

Click on a photo to expand and click the Back button in your browser to return to the Gallery.

Support Local Journalism Awards Reception photographs by Will Reintzell Photography.

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Arlington, VA – Eighty-four participants representing news publishers in 25 states across the country will meet with Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. today as part of a Support Journalism Fly-In hosted by the News/Media Alliance, a nonprofit trade association representing more than 2,000 print and digital news and magazine publishers in the U.S. The Fly-In is being held to advocate for the importance of quality journalistic and creative content and the need for legislative action in the United States.

“Our members are here in Washington today because they are passionate about quality journalism, and right now its future is at risk,” stated News/Media Alliance President & CEO Danielle Coffey. “Current marketplace imbalances and economic headwinds have created an environment where quality is no longer rewarded, and intermediaries benefit at the expense of those who invest in the creative process.  If we allow this to continue, we will lose the invaluable benefits of a free press, which is critical to an informed society and a functional democracy.”

In their meetings with Members of Congress, publishers will discuss the need for fair compensation from the Big Tech platforms in the form of the bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA, S. 1094); protection from unlawful scraping of content by artificial intelligence systems; tax credits such as those stipulated in the Community News and Small Business Support Act (H.R. 4756); and privacy legislation.

Executives representing news publishers of all sizes will be in attendance.

Chris Argentieri, President of California Times, which includes the Los Angeles Times stated, “In times of crisis, in times of curiosity, and in times of concern, people turn to news organizations they trust to provide guidance and information on the news of the day.”

Debby Krenek, Publisher, Newsday Media Group, LLC stated, “Newsday’s reporters are the lifeblood of our communities on Long Island and help establish the bedrock of a healthy democracy by informing and empowering all Long Islanders. Local journalism is not a luxury. It’s a necessity and it is under existential threat.”

Grant Moise, CEO of DallasNews Corporation and President & Publisher of The Dallas Morning News stated, “The Dallas Morning News employs over 600 people, and these colleagues’ dedication and hard work helps keep North Texans informed and empowered daily. In the digital age, journalism faces many threats. We are here to ask you to support our industry, not just for us, but for all Americans.”

Last night the Alliance recognized Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) for her contributions to preserving quality journalism at a “Support Local Journalism” reception held at the Washington Post ‘s headquarters. Senator John Thune (R-SD) will also accept an award for his contributions to sustaining quality journalism at a meeting with publishers today.

Coffey added, “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of Senators Klobuchar, Kennedy and Thune, and we look forward to working with them to save local journalism so that future generations can rely on timely, vetted news and information that impact their daily lives.”

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Media Contact:
Lindsey Loving
Director, Communications
lindsey@newsmediaalliance.org

The News/Media Alliance is a nonprofit organization representing more than 2,000 news and magazine media organizations and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and globally. Alliance members include print and digital publishers of original journalism. Headquartered just outside Washington, D.C., the association focuses on ensuring the future of journalism through communication, research, advocacy, and innovation. Information about the News/Media Alliance can be found at www.newsmediaalliance.org.

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On May 31, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) approved the USPS market-dominant rate increases proposed by the Postal Service on April 10. Periodicals rates will increase 8.122% while marketing mail will increase 5.378%. In addition, the PRC noted that there were numerous errors in the Postal Service’s initial filing, including errors in the workpapers for all five mail classes. The PRC directed the Postal Service to investigate its initial filing procedures and to file a report with the results of its investigation and its plan to correct the issues identified in this proceeding in future rate adjustment proceedings by July 31.

To further address member concerns on rate increases and service delivery, the News/Media Alliance submitted joint comments to the US House Subcommittee on Government Operations following a hearing May 17 – Tracking the Postal Service: An Update on the Delivering for America (DFA) Plan. The Alliance is part of the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service, which stated the relentless, twice-yearly postage rates increases are endangering the Postal Service’s mail business and is destructive to businesses. The hearing was a solid first step toward ongoing oversight of the DFA plan; however, The Alliance will continue to advocate for additional hearings and oversight. The Alliance is also working on recommendations to Congress on ways to strengthen the PRC’s oversight of USPS rates and service and to provide greater accountability for USPS actions.

The post PRC Approves July Postal Rate Increases & The Alliance Joins Coalition Letter to Congressional Subcommittee Concerned about Rates and Service, Calls for Additional Reform appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

On January 30, the News/Media Alliance filed comments with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to inform their annual Special 301 Review. The Review, required by Congress pursuant to the Trade Act of 1975, highlights foreign countries, laws, policies, and practices that fail to protect and enforce intellectual property rights adequately and effectively. The Alliance’s comments were in response to and addressed arguments made by big tech stakeholders in previous years in response to various USTR proceedings, including Special 301, criticizing global efforts to level the playing field between publishers and the dominant online platforms and to require platforms to compensate publishers for the use of news content. The comments argued that not only were these policies – such as Canada’s proposed Online News Bill or Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code – outside the remit of the Special 301 Review, they are not discriminatory or in violation of international law. Instead, they are informed by an important public policy objective, shared by the United States, of protecting the sustainability of and our communities’ continued access to high-quality journalism. The comments urged the USTR to remain neutral on these policies in the Special 301 Report. Read the full comments here.

The post The Alliance Rebuts Big Tech Arguments on News Compensation Bills in Special 301 Comments appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Through news media, citizens can express themselves and advocate for their causes, whether they be political, religious or just personally meaningful to us; share our thoughts and ideas; petition the government; and plan assemblies. Local journalism can be our own personal amplifier for sharing our unique perspectives, as well as a wider lens through which to view and engage with our communities.

But beyond offering a means for citizens to exercise their First Amendment freedoms, news media also help protect those rights: through their role as government watchdogs. They are often the first to report when government officials try to overstep their bounds and hinder Americans’ right to information, made available through freedom of the press. Journalists work to keep the legislative process transparent and hold government officials accountable. Perhaps because of our prominent mention in the Constitution, news media are uniquely committed to their pursuit of the truth.

But the future of journalism and free speech is in jeopardy. Currently, news publishers are finding themselves without a way to recoup their investment in quality news. Big Tech platforms do not fairly compensate news publishers for their use of news content, making it increasingly difficult for publishers to reinvest in journalism.

The News/Media Alliance has called for small and local news publishers to be granted an antitrust safe harbor to be able to come together to negotiate for better business terms with the platforms. This is the best solution to correcting the imbalance in the digital ecosystem and ensuring a sustainable future for digital news. We are encouraged that a bill that would do just that – the Journalism Competition & Preservation Act (JCPA), which has bipartisan support in the House and Senate – was voted out of committee in the Senate in September. The JCPA, through ensuring the sustainability of local news publishers through payment from the tech platforms, helps ensure our ongoing freedoms of speech and the press are protected.

News media have made our democracy stronger, our citizenry more informed and engaged, and our Constitutional rights secure and strong. As we mark Free Speech Week, we ask that anyone who relies on news for their information — whether in print or online (and if you get your news on social media, it’s most likely still from a news publisher) — to ask Congress to support the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act. Visit JCPABill.com for more information.

Visit our Free Speech Week page for more related articles and resources.

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The News/Media Alliance recently became a member of Keep Us Posted, a stakeholder and consumer organization dedicated to a more reliable and affordable Postal Service, specifically focused on market dominant mail. Keep Us Posted advocated for Rep. Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) to introduce HR 8781, the Ensuring Accurate Postal Rates Act, which requires the Postal Regulatory Commission to reconsider and reduce the current postage rate cap. Meanwhile, the USPS is poised to announce higher postal rates within the next week, and the Alliance will send out more detailed information once the rates have been filed. We will continue to work with the USPS, Congress, and this coalition to continue addressing increasing postal rates and poor service delivery.

The post The News/Media Alliance Joins Keep Us Posted appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

“It is more important than ever to protect quality journalism that is independent both from government and from powerful Silicon Valley companies,” a coalition of center-right publishers wrote in a letter to the bill’s original sponsors. “We urge you to support the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act.”

The JCPA is designed to level the playing field between Big Tech and small and local publishers by allowing them to collectively negotiate for fair compensation for the use of their content. The Senate text of the bill was released Monday and was listed on the agenda for Senate Judiciary Committee for markup in September and its supporters are urging Congress – specifically the bill’s lead co-sponsors Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Kennedy (R-LA) and Reps. David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ken Buck (R-CO) – to initiate a markup of the bill and accelerate its passage in the House of Representatives and Senate.

These publishers are in tune with Republican voters, who, according to pollsters Echelon Insights, support the goals of the JCPA. Their poll found that 76 percent of Republicans agree that Big Tech should not be allowed to profit off content from news publishers without fair compensation.”

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BACKGROUND

“It is more important than ever to protect quality journalism that is independent both from government and from powerful Silicon Valley companies. We urge you to support the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act.” – Coalition of conservative publishers, including from Newsmax, Washington Times, Redstate.com, Salem Media Group, Washington Examiner, the Daily Caller, and more

[The] “JCPA provides a remedy by permitting a coalition of publishers to negotiate a deal to receive fair compensation for their original and valuable news content. … The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act is the kind of legislation that Republicans and Democrats alike can and should get behind. … There is a shared interest in preserving a free and diverse press.” – Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media, Inc.

“76% agree that Big Tech should not be allowed to profit off content from news publishers without fair compensation and 74% agree that Big Tech should be required to offer the same compensation terms to local, conservative, and national news organizations.” – Echelon Insights poll of Republican voters

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