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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News publishers and magazines have become highly experimental and deeply innovative businesses. We have larger audiences than ever — but also need to create new products and distribution systems to drive a better future. This newsletter is designed to highlight interesting ideas and provoke some thinking. Send suggestions to david@newsmediaalliance.org.

To receive ‘Expanding the View’ in your email inbox each month, click here to subscribe.

What I’ve been reading this month:

For Creators, Community is the New Follower Count (The Washington Post)
Community apps for audiences of influencers and other creators may be the future of engagement with content.

Lewis Black Sues Pandora for $10 Million Over Copyright Infringement (The Verge)
As Spotify continues to grow, comedians continue to sue for copyright infringement.

Why Republicans Stopped Talking to the Press (New York Magazine)
“Sitting down with the mainstream press has come to be seen by Republican primary voters as consorting with the enemy, and approval by the enemy is the political kiss of death.” – As we move deeper into 2022 election season, a shift in Republican strategy.

Opinion: I Stopped Reading the News. Is the Problem Me — or the Product? (The Washington Post) – A take on news avoidance, from deep within the news industry.

10 Key Takeaways for News Subscription Managers from the 2022 Digital News Report (What’s New in Publishing) – An overview of some innovative findings from the 2022 Reuters Institute report.

Meet the Lobbyist Next Door (WIRED)
Is your favorite influencer actually a lobbyist?

How Software Is Stifling Competition and Slowing Innovation (The New York Times)
“There is an advantage to software that economists haven’t really reckoned with yet. Software isn’t accelerating creative destruction today. Software is suppressing it.”

Leaked Videos Show Disney Is the Biggest Ad Tech Giant You’ve Never Heard Of (VICE)
Might the future of ads and media look a lot like the past?

Web3/Blockchain:

As more and more groundbreaking discussions about Web3 and blockchain are taking place every day, I’m dedicating a section of this newsletter to the topic and will highlight the most interesting ones each month.

Hype is a Weaponized Form of Optimism (Nieman Lab)
A contrarian take on emerging technologies.

Developer Turns ‘Future of Gaming’ Talk into a Surprise Attack on Convention’s NFT and Blockchain Sponsors (PC Gamer)
How one developer fought back against the domination of the gaming industry by crypto.

Podcasts:

The Mid-Century Media Theorists Who Saw What Was Coming  (The Ezra Klein Show)

Notable in the Twitter-verse:

Check out these accounts for more on these and other emerging topics:

Gregg Fernandes: @GreggFernandes
Steve Lohr: @SteveLohr
Amanda Ripley: @amandaripley
Ben Wofford: @BenWoffordDC
Taylor Lorenz: @TaylorLorenz

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The post Expanding the View – July 2022 appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

News publishers and magazines have become highly experimental and deeply innovative businesses. We have larger audiences than ever — but also need to create new products and distribution systems to drive a better future. This newsletter is designed to highlight interesting ideas and provoke some thinking. Send suggestions to david@newsmediaalliance.org.

To receive ‘Expanding the View’ in your email inbox each month, click here to subscribe.

What I’ve been reading this month:

The Biggest Change in Media Since Cable Is Happening Right Now (Politico)
Following the demise of CNN+, many predicted an end to streaming digital news platforms. But Politico’s Jack Shafer sees another story. 

An Inflection Point Year for TV Viewing as Cord-Cutters Dominate (CivicScience)
Research firm CivicScience breaks down the trends related to cable “cord cutting” and digital streaming, and makes some predictions for the future.

Google Agrees to Pay for Beefed-Up Wikipedia Service (Courthouse News Service)
While Google is involved in international negotiations regarding paying for news, it has recently agreed to pay the Wikimedia Foundation for access to Wikipedia articles.

Journalism Has Suddenly Taken Off on TikTok: What Publishers Need to Know (Press Gazette)
With the rise of TikTok as a social media platform and cultural juggernaut, some news brands are breaking through to global audiences of the app’s younger users.

Popular Science Owner Recurrent Ventures Raises $300 Million in Blackstone-Led Round (The Wall Street Journal)
A bet on media.

Facebook’s Current State of Decomposition (Garbage Day)
Deep diving into the most recent Facebook Widely Viewed Content report and what it can tell us about the current state of the company and its prospects.

Web3/Blockchain:

I’ve been thinking a lot about crypto and Web3 – and there have been a lot of diverse opinions this month:

The Pivot to Web3 Is Going to Get People Hurt (VICE)
Looking into who stands to benefit from the Web3 “revolution.”

Cautionary Tales from Cryptoland (Harvard Business Review)
Part of HBR’s extensive series on Web3, blockchain and crypto, looking at some of the riskier elements.

Paradise at the Crypto Arcade: Inside the Web3 Revolution (WIRED )
A journalist went to a crypto conference to understand the mindset and found himself starting his own DAO.

In Defense of Crypto(currency) (A Few Thoughts on Cryptographic Engineering)
A cryptographer’s deep dive into the fundamentals that underlie cryptocurrency, while acknowledging many of the field’s flaws.

Notable in the Twitter-verse:

Check out these accounts for more on these and other emerging topics:

Cecilia Kang: @ceciliakang
Catherine Perloff: @catherineperlo1
Feli Carrique: @felicarrique
News Product Alliance: @newsproduct
Today in News Tech: @TodayinNewsTech

From @acfou:

1 in 5 CTV ads shown when TV is off

"Some 17% of ads shown on televisions connected through a streaming device—including streaming boxes, dongles, sticks and gaming consoles—are playing while the TV is off." https://t.co/Kq6xOX9N3S

— Dr. Augustine Fou (@acfou) June 13, 2022

From @ScottBrodbeck:

I’ve been doing this local news thing for 12+ years at this point and for the first time I think I know how it’s going to shake out

— Scott Brodbeck (@scottbrodbeck) June 1, 2022

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This is my monthly reading list of stories about emerging business trends that I thought were interesting and are designed to make you think. I hope you enjoy – and if you see any up-and-coming trends for the news industry that you’d like to share, drop me a line at david@newsmediaalliance.org.

To receive ‘Expanding the View’ in your email inbox each month, click here to subscribe.

What I’ve been reading this month:

How the Pandemic Made Algorithms Go Haywire (Slate)
Algorithms have entered every market, industry and sector. This story looks at what happened when healthcare got involved.

Forget Personalisation, It’s Impossible and It Doesn’t Work (MarketingWeek)
For years, personalized marketing has been seen as the holy grail of the field. Should it be?

What Problem Blockchains Actually Solve (The Solution Space)
If recent news about cryptocurrency has you scrambling to find more about the fundamentals, this is a great place to start.

Publishers’ Secondary Market Strategy: What Happens When the Monetary Appeal of NFTs Isn’t Enough?  (Digiday)
For anyone considering using NFTs to raise money, the key question is “then what?”

The 4 Hurdles Micropayment Platforms Can’t Overcome (Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter)
Micropayments have been promised as a solution to the news industry’s woes for years. Why haven’t the promises panned out?

Notable in the Twitter-verse:

Check out these accounts for more on these and other emerging topics:

Alex Kantrowitz: @Kantrowitz
Keach Hagey: @keachhagey
Will Oremus: @WillOremus
Tech Policy Press: @techpolicypress
Julien Genestoux: @julien51

From @AKGrenier:

@netflix DON'T MESS THIS UP!

You have one of the most unique opportunities to execute monetization on a global content platform ever.

DON'T TAKE A GENERIC ADS APPROACH!!!

My brain on how to think about ads from a customer and product first approach on Netflix. …

— Adam Grenier (@AKGrenier) April 21, 2022

From @JorgeStolfi:

Every computer scientist should be able to see that cryptocurrencies are totally disfunctional payment systems, and that "blockchain technology" (including "smart constracts") is a technological fraud. Would they please say that out loud?

— Jorge Stolfi (@JorgeStolfi) May 5, 2022

From @michaelbeach:

Local video advertising will be a $55B market in 2022.

Three big questions.

— Michael Beach (@michaelbeach) May 2, 2022

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I’m here with a new monthly reading list of stories about emerging business trends that I thought were interesting and are designed to make you think. I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you’re seeing out there that you see as up and coming for the news industry. Drop me a line at david@newsmediaalliance.org.

To receive ‘Expanding the View’ in your email inbox each month, click here to subscribe.

What I’ve been reading this month:

Six Months In, El Salvador’s Bitcoin Gamble is Crumbling (Rest of World)
A deep dive on how the country’s bold crypto experiment is faring.

Web3 and the Trap of ‘For Good’(Stanford Social Innovation Review)
Confused by the big claims around Web3? Here’s a deep dive into how proponents may be wrong that Web3 will change the world.

What Google Search Isn’t Showing You (The New Yorker)
After years as the dominant search engine, is Google still the best tool out there?

Fake News about our Fake News Study Spread Faster than its Truth… Just as We Predicted. (Sinan Aral)
A study about Fake News got the Fake News treatment. You won’t believe what happened next!

Into the Military Metaverse: An Empty Buzzword or a Virtual Resource for the Pentagon? (Breaking Defense)
As industries everywhere consider their dive into the metaverse, a look at how the Department of Defense is thinking about this transition.

President Obama Delivers Speech on Disinformation’s Threat to Democracy (Barack Obama)
President Barack Obama’s Stanford speech on disinformation dives deep into how evolving social and traditional media have led us to this moment.

Chris Dixon Thinks Web3 is the Future of the Internet – Is it? (The Verge)
A long interview with famed tech investor Chris Dixon on the future of web3, crypto, and the state of VC.

Notable in the Twitter-verse:

Check out these accounts for more on these and other emerging topics:

Alan Graham: @agraham999
Aram Zucker-Scharff: @Chronotope
web3 is going just great: @web3isgreat
Big Technology: @BigTechnology
Robin Berjon: @robinberjon

From @jasonkilar:

An observation about digital media, especially video: if a company has to pay for the production of content presented on its service, ad revenue alone is very rarely – if ever – enough to result in a sustainable business long term.

— Jason Kilar (@jasonkilar) April 21, 2022

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News Media Alliance President & CEO, David Chavern, stated, “It is misguided for Facebook to restrict the sharing of high-quality journalism on its platform. It is well-established that in the absence of real news, misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech flourish – a problem Facebook is all too familiar with. Prioritizing news on its platform is a solution that would be mutually beneficial to both publishers and Facebook. Facebook’s abrupt action will hurt its users and, ultimately, backfire.”

The Alliance supports the bargaining code in Australia and applauds the continued progress of the legislation through Parliament. The code will help ensure news publishers of all sizes receive fair compensation for use of their content. The Alliance supports similar legislation being adopted in the United States, such as the Journalism Competition & Preservation Act, which would allow news publishers to negotiate collectively with the tech platforms for use of their content.

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Smith also stated that Microsoft would abide by the legislation for its search engine, Bing, if and when it is told it must do so.

News Media Alliance President and CEO, David Chavern, stated, “We were very pleased to see Brad Smith’s remarks about the bargaining code in Australia, which we see as a turning point in global efforts to create a sustainable model for professional news. I have long said that the tech platforms can and should be part of the solution, rather than an obstacle, to ensuring the preservation of high-quality journalism. And in turn, quality news can offer a solution to the out-of-control spread of mis- and disinformation we are currently witnessing across the big tech platforms. Through working together and appropriately directing revenue to the original creators of content, we can ensure that the internet is a place where truth reigns and fake news and hate are driven out.”

Chavern penned an op-ed in The Australian, published today, describing Australia’s decision as “one that could change the course of civic societies around the globe” and calling the bargaining code “brave, thoughtful and right.”

The Alliance looks forward to the Australia bargaining code being signed into law, and to other countries – including the U.S. – adopting similar legislation, such as the U.S. bill introduced in the House and Senate, the Journalism Competition & Preservation Act, which would grant news publishers the ability to negotiate collectively with the tech platforms for fair compensation for use of their content.

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This lawsuit has major implications for news publishers, particularly local news publishers that have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic impact. Google has leveraged its dominance to commandeer the majority of all digital ad revenue, profiting from sharing news publishers’ content, while failing to consistently compensate news publishers for use of that content.

According to the Alliance’s Declaration, Texas is the right place to decide this case, as it represents the more convenient location for calling potential witnesses, and offers the most expedient option, given California’s requirements to adhere to Google’s adhesive forum selection clauses, and Texas’ ability to hear cases more promptly. The wait for a case to be heard in Texas is just 18 months, versus 44.5 months, or nearly four years, in California.

Alliance President & CEO, David Chavern, stated, “Google’s flatly anticompetitive dominance of the digital advertising ecosystem has stripped news publishers of important advertising revenue, which is critical for them to be able to continue to provide the high-quality journalism Americans depend on. Moving the lawsuit from Texas to California will unnecessarily delay the lawsuit – Google knows this and will want to put it off; however, news publishers don’t have that kind of time. We need action now.”

News publisher ad revenues have plummeted dramatically over the last two decades; between 2005 and 2018, news organizations saw their ad revenue fall by 70 percent. During that same period, Google’s ad revenue increased from approximately $6 billion to $116 billion, and Google’s market capitalization increased from approximately $100 billion to $1 trillion.

A copy of the News Media Alliance Declaration can be found here.

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