The PRESS Act, which unanimously passed the House last Congress, ensures that journalists can perform their work without fear of government overreach by prohibiting government officials from exposing confidential sources or subpoenaing for protected information. The bill allows the free press to continue their important investigative work to shed light on public matters critical to preserving our democracy, while still enabling enforcement officials to obtain the information they need to investigate and prosecute crimes to keep the nation secure.

Danielle Coffey, News/Media Alliance President & CEO, stated, “The News/Media Alliance proudly supports the PRESS Act and commends Senators Wyden, Durbin and Lee, and Representatives Raskin and Kiley for their leadership and commitment to protecting a free and independent press. The PRESS Act will ensure that journalists can maintain editorial independence and protect confidential sources which are a vital part of producing quality news. We encourage Congress to swiftly pass this important bi-partisan legislation.”

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The post Statement: Bipartisan Federal Shield Bill, the Protect Reporters from Excessive State Suppression (PRESS) Act Reintroduced in House and Senate appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

“We are very pleased Senators Feinstein, Hirono and King have joined in support of the JCPA, and we applaud them for their commitment to sustaining high-quality journalism. Publishers must be compensated by the Big Tech platforms for use of their valuable content, and the JCPA will ensure they receive the compensation they need and deserve to be able to continue providing the important news and content that supports a strong and informed society. We look forward to working with all of the co-Sponsors to advance the JCPA toward becoming law.”

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The post Statement: Senators Feinstein, Hirono and King Sign on as Co-Sponsors of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Arlington, VA – The News/Media Alliance applauds Senate Antitrust Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator John N. Kennedy (R-LA) for today reintroducing the “Journalism Competition and Preservation Act” (JCPA). The bill would provide digital journalism providers the ability to collectively negotiate with Facebook and Google for fair compensation for the use of their valuable content. Currently, publishers do not have the ability to negotiate these deals on their own, as the dominant tech platforms capture the majority of U.S. digital ad revenue, leaving publishers with little to reinvest in the production of high-quality journalism. This follows in the wake of other countries’ successful compensation systems for publishers, with Australia’s Media Bargaining Code and European legislation leading the way and Canada and the UK expected to follow.

In response to the bill reintroduction in the Senate, News/Media Alliance Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Danielle Coffey said, “The time is now to pass this critical legislation that will protect and sustain local journalism, now more important than ever to ensuring an informed society. Emerging technologies such as AI are making it even more clear the need for compensation when content creators may soon see even less return than what they receive today. The cost of inaction is simply too great to ignore any longer. We must ensure that the digital ecosystem returns value back to the people who deliver high-quality journalism we all rely on around the world.”

Since 2018, the News/Media Alliance has been vocally advocating for such legislation in the U.S. “A compensation framework between news publishers and the tech platforms will help correct the current imbalance in the marketplace whereby Google and Meta have set the rules that everyone else must play by,” Coffey said.

Previously reintroduced in the 117th Congress (S. 673 and H.R. 1735), the Senate Judiciary Committee completed its bipartisan markup of the JCPA in September 2022. The bill received broad support, not only in Congress where it had 90 co-sponsors in the House and Senate (on both sides of the aisle), but also from over 300 consumer interest groups, unions, conservatives, advocacy groups and third-party organizations. In addition, nearly 24,000 individuals signed a Change.org petition for the bill and nearly 1,000 editorials in support of the JCPA have been published in newspapers in 48 states across the country. In a poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted in April 2022, 70 percent of Americans said they support Congress passing the JCPA.

The bill nearly passed into law in December when it was included in the NDAA legislation package. However, as it did in Australia just before the Media Bargaining Code passed there, Meta threatened to remove news from Facebook in the U.S. if the JCPA passed, further demonstrating their outsized power.

The JCPA has now been reintroduced in the 118th Congress to continue progressing forward.

Coffey added, “We are grateful to Chair Klobuchar and Senator Kennedy for their commitment to quality journalism, and we look forward to working with them to ensure small and local news publishers receive fair compensation from the platforms for the valuable journalism they work tirelessly to provide. News publishers need a lifeline, and the JCPA is that lifeline.”

More information on the bill can be found on the News/Media Alliance website at www.JCPABill.com.

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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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The post House Representatives Introduce International Press Freedom Bill appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

On May 3, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), and other members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations introduced a bi-partisan resolution in both the House and the Senate condemning threats to freedom of the press around the world and reaffirming the necessity of journalism for a healthy democracy. On World Press Freedom Day, the resolution condemns the increase in international attacks on press freedom, specifically including the actions of Russia, China, and Afghanistan to stifle media independence—often retaliating against journalists through arrests and even violence. Rep. Schiff said “we stand firmly with members of the media by recognizing their remarkable contributions and sacrifices, and pledging to defend their rights at home and abroad.” The resolution points out “the centrality of a free and independent press to the health of democracy, and reaffirm[s] freedom of the press as a priority of the United States.” The Alliance applauds this resolution for pointing out the vital work that journalists perform and for prioritizing the preservation of a free and independent press. Read more.

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On April 6, President Joe Biden signed the Postal Service Reform Act, H.R. 3076, which provides $107 billion in direct and indirect support for the United States Postal Service (USPS). This is the first major piece of reform for the USPS in 15 years, which had wide bipartisan support. View Biden’s remarks and the bill signing ceremony.

Key provisions include:

• expansion of special rates for local newspaper distribution to promote local news organizations,
• service performance transparency including a new public-facing, online dashboard with national and local level service performance data updated each week to help promote compliance with on-time delivery of mail,
• repeal mandatory pre-funding of retiree health benefits to financially stabilize the Postal Service and curb rate increases,
• six-day integrated delivery, and
• study on operational inefficiencies in Postal Service flats and magazine processing

Meanwhile, on April 6, the USPS filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of price changes to take effect July 10. In both Periodicals and Marketing Mail, the USPS is setting price signals to encourage mailers to prepare their mailings in ways that are less costly to handle and deliver. For Periodicals, the overall increase is 8.540%, with Outside County receiving an average increase of 8.581% and Within County 7.751%. In Marketing Mail, the increases (while high) are relatively smaller for saturation flats and tend to get smaller as the mail pieces get heavier. Also in Marketing Mail, the Postal Service is proposing a discount for Saturation and High-Density flats prepared and entered in 5-Digit direct containers (e.g., pallets, sacks, and tubs).

The Alliance will continue to work with the USPS, Congress, and other stakeholders to continue addressing increasing postal rates.

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The post President Signs Postal Reform Bill into Law & USPS Announces Increased Postal Rates   appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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The post Postal Reform Bill Awaits President’s Signature & Regulatory Commission Issues Annual Compliance Determination appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

On March 8, Congress passed the long-awaited Postal Reform bill that will, among other things, reduce costs of the Postal Service to curb rate increases for our members. The Senate passed 79-19 the Postal Service Reform Act, H.R. 3076, originally sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, and James Comer, R-KY, which now goes to President Biden for his signature. The Alliance was part of a stakeholder coalition supporting the bill and signed on to numerous letters. While this vote was a meaningful step towards reduced costs and reliable service to consumers nationwide, more work needs to be done in stabilizing postal rates and The Alliance will continue to be at the forefront of those discussions. The Alliance has created a Postal Group and will advocate for future policy recommendations to the Postal Service and Congressional leaders to find solutions that will help protect news publishers and our communities’ access to high-quality journalism. The Alliance has also partnered with the National Newspaper Association (NNA) in a joint task force to educate and train members in using the Postal Service more effectively with the goal of saving members costs and creating efficiencies.

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The post Postal Reform Bill Passed by Congress, On its Way to President Biden appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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The post Senate Vote on Postal Service Reform Bill Delayed This Week appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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The post NMA Signs Joint Writ of Certiorari Petition to US Court of Appeals Questioning Postal Rate-Setting System    appeared first on News/Media Alliance.