After incorporating several amendments, the Committee ultimately voted to report the JCPA out favorably and send the bill to the Senate floor.

“We applaud Senators Klobuchar, Kennedy, Durbin and Grassley for their support of the JCPA and their dedication to sustaining quality journalism. Today’s markup and vote was a major step towards getting small and local news publishers the fair compensation they deserve for their content,” said News/Media Alliance President & CEO David Chavern. “We thank Chairman Nadler, Chairman Cicilline, and Ranking Member Buck for their support for local journalism and call on Chairman Nadler to bring the bill before the House Judiciary Committee for a vote next week, likely the last opportunity to move the JCPA out of Committee before the midterm elections.”

The Alliance thanks the many co-sponsors of the bill for their leadership in pursuing this legislation and for their commitment to sustaining quality journalism.

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Claims made by the opposition are wholly unfounded and are not supported by the text of the legislation. The Myths and Facts around these claims are important to honest and productive discourse. Jobs will be created; news outlets will publicly disclose funds received and how it is spent; there is no payment required for links of any sort; and extreme content already exists and is currently paid for by Google and Facebook with no public transparency, while traditional local newspapers are being left behind. According to an article just published by The Wall Street Journal, marketplace arrangements are not the answer. The JCPA will lead to open and vetted compensation for news outlets for the fair market value the platforms receive.

The JCPA has broad support, not only in Congress where it has strong support in both the House and the Senate (on both sides of the aisle – including 79 total co-sponsors), but also from 215 consumer interest groups, unions, conservatives, advocacy groups and third-party organizations that have shown support for the JCPA by sending letters of support to the bill sponsors. In addition, nearly 24,000 individuals have 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 recent poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Schoen Cooperman Research for the News/Media Alliance, 70 percent of Americans said they support Congress passing the JCPA.

The Alliance thanks the many co-sponsors of the bill for their leadership in pursuing this legislation and for their commitment to sustaining quality journalism.

“For too long, the tech platforms have used – and profited from – news content without paying the creators of that content, which has done serious damage to high-quality journalism. This is our chance to fix the source of that damage, with meaningful legislation that will level the playing field and flow revenue back to the original creators,” said News/Media Alliance President & CEO David Chavern. “We applaud Chairwoman Klobuchar, Senator Kennedy, Chairman Cicilline, and Ranking Member Buck for their ardent commitment to journalism and steadfast support of the JCPA, and we look forward to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s markup leading to a vote and passage of this critical legislation for local news publishers across our country.”

The markup proceedings can be viewed live here.

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

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The JCPA would allow local news publishers to come together to collectively negotiate with the Big Tech platforms, such as Google and Facebook, for fair compensation for use of their content. Currently, small and local 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 local publishers with little to reinvest in the production of high-quality journalism.

News/Media Alliance President & CEO David Chavern said, “We applaud Chairwoman Klobuchar, Senator Kennedy, Chairman Cicilline, and Ranking Member Buck for their leadership in progressing the JCPA and for their hard work and dedication to fighting for the future of local journalism through pursuing fair and just compensation for news publishers. The time to act is now.”

The JCPA has broad support, not only in Congress where it has strong support in both the House and the Senate (on both sides of the aisle – including 79 total co-sponsors), but also from 215 consumer interest groups, unions, conservatives, advocacy groups and third-party organizations that have shown support for the JCPA by sending letters of support to the bill sponsors. In addition, nearly 24,000 individuals have 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 recent poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Schoen Cooperman Research for the News/Media Alliance, 70 percent of Americans said they support Congress passing the JCPA.

The Alliance thanks the many co-sponsors of the bill for their leadership in pursuing this legislation and for their commitment to sustaining quality journalism.

View the joint House and Senate press release on the release of the bill text here.

Click here to view a full list of third-party support organizations and bill co-sponsors.

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

The post Statement: News/Media Alliance Applauds Text Release of Journalism Competition & Preservation Act, Forthcoming Markup in Senate appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Journalism Competition & Preservation Act would allow news publishers to negotiate for fair compensation from the tech platforms

Arlington, VA – Today the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights will hold a hearing at 3:00 p.m. ET, “Breaking the News – Journalism, Competition, and the Effects of Market Power on a Free Press,” on the impact of the dominant tech platforms, such as Facebook and Google, on the ability to sustain high-quality journalism and the need for legislation to ensure the platforms provide news publishers fair compensation for use of their online content.

Witnesses scheduled to testify at the hearing include Jennifer Bertetto, president & CEO of Trib Total Media in Greensburg, PA (written testimony here); Hal Singer, economist and antitrust expert (written testimony here); and Joel Oxley, senior vice president and general manager of WTOP and Federal News Radio.

Last March, Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chair Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator John N. Kennedy (R-LA) reintroduced the Journalism Competition & Preservation Act (JCPA) in the Senate, which would provide a limited antitrust safe harbor for news publishers to collectively negotiate with the platforms for fair compensation for the use of their content. An identical bill was introduced concurrently in the House by House Antitrust Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ranking Member Ken Buck (R-CO).

News Media Alliance President & CEO, David Chavern, stated, “We applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee for holding this hearing and recognizing the urgent need to address the local news crisis. We need trusted sources of journalism now more than ever. Currently, the dominant tech platforms set the rules, using news publishers’ content without providing appropriate compensation, while taking the majority of digital advertising revenue in the U.S. This is revenue that news publishers need to reinvest in providing quality journalism. Now is the time to act, and we believe the Journalism Competition & Preservation Act is the solution that will help sustain high-quality journalism and therefore our civic society.”

Current antitrust laws prohibit news publishers from taking collective action by negotiating with the large online platforms for fair compensation for all news publishers – large and small – across the board. This legislation would provide news publishers with a limited opportunity to negotiate together and to withhold content from the online platforms during the negotiations, while presenting a sensible, market-based solution to a major threat to the future of high-quality journalism.

Managing Director of Econ One, Hal Singer, said, “The reason Google scrapes, indexes and posts news publisher content for free is because it can. It’s like some bully coming into your house and taking your lunch. As long as market forces are allowed to dictate the payments for accessing news publisher content, the access price will remain at zero, and news publishers will be deprived of billions of dollars per year of value created for the platforms.”

“While Google and Facebook earn record profits year after year, their monopolistic behavior has led to downsized or shuttered newsrooms across America. Even with our restructuring and enhanced digital offerings, it was not enough to level the playing field,” said Jennifer Bertetto, President and CEO of Trib Total Media. “The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) would allow news publishers – irrespective of size or political persuasion – to jointly negotiate with the platforms for fair compensation for the use of our content. The JCPA would give my company – a small, regionally-focused publisher – what we don’t have today: a seat at the table.”

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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 organizations and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and globally. Alliance members include print, digital and mobile publishers of original news content. Headquartered just outside Washington, D.C., the association focuses on ensuring the future of news media through communication, research, advocacy and innovation. Information about the News Media Alliance (formerly NAA) can be found at www.newsmediaalliance.org.

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PrathanChorruangsak / iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

On July 22, the News Media Alliance hosted a policy maker breakfast and book launch event for An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination by Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang at The Dubliner in Washington, D.C. The launch featured special guests Kang and House Antitrust Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI).

Congressman Cicilline with Ugly Truth coauthor Cecilia Kang and Alliance CEO David Chavern

Written by two award-winning New York Times journalists, The Ugly Truth debuted as a best seller in early July. Frenkel covers cybersecurity and Kang covers technology and regulatory policy at The Times. Their unique insights provide a troubling look into the tech giant’s rise and control.

Kang with NAB Senior Vice President, Government Relations Shawn Donilon and Alliance Senior Vice President and General Counsel Danielle Coffey

The book largely focuses on the time period between 2015 and 2020, starting with the 2016 election and ending with the January 6th insurrection. From data leaks to internal scandals, Facebook’s role in Mynamar’s genocide to the FTC lawsuit against Facebook, The Ugly Truth goes deep on Facebook’s unprecedented power and the power to corrupt.

WaxWord's take on @ceciliakang and @sheeraf new book, #AnUglyTruth: The back jacket sums up the arrogance & dissembling coming from the top, a series of mealy-mouthed apologies, none convincing. https://t.co/XA8nyeUPHu

— Sharon Waxman (@sharonwaxman) July 26, 2021

The book’s back cover is speckled with quotes from Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg from 2006 to 2020, each one acknowledging fault, apologizing and admitting Facebook needs to do better.

Chavern tweeted, “Such a great event and so happy to celebrate #TheUglyTruth and @ceciliakang — and very honored to hear from @davidcicilline, a real leader for our times.”

Cicilline is known for his staunch stance against Facebook, calling them a monopoly and issuing a statement in December of 2020 saying “[Facebook’s] abuse of its dominance harms competition, innovation, and other businesses. In the absence of competition and accountability, Facebook has harmed people’s privacy and allowed disinformation to flourish on its platform, threatening our democracy.”

Following the event, Cecilia Kang shared on Twitter that she was “Glad to share insights from our book and to wonk out with such an informed policy crowd.”

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In October, House Antitrust Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) and the Democratic Majority of the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law released a report on the anticompetitive behavior of the big tech platforms, which resulted in the antitrust bills (link to bills) that will be marked up in the House Judiciary Committee this week. The Report also referenced the News Media Alliance White Paper, “How Google Abuses Its Position as a Market Dominant Platform to Strong-Arm News Publishers and Hurt Journalism,” which outlines several of the ways in which Google uses news content to its advantage across its products and services.

The House Majority Report also recommends passing the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, which will allow for the fair exchange of value for quality journalism that is extracted and monetized by the tech platforms.

Alliance President and CEO, David Chavern, stated, “The anticompetitive conduct of the dominant tech platforms can’t be ignored and is a testament to the critical need to correct the glaring imbalance in the marketplace. We applaud the House Judiciary Committee’s attention to these very important issues that cause consumer harm across our country.”

In March, Chairman Cicilline, Ranking Member Ken Buck (R-CO), Senate Antitrust Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Senator John N. Kennedy (R-LA), reintroduced the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA), which would grant news publishers the ability to collectively negotiate with the dominant tech platforms for fair compensation for use of their content. The News Media Alliance is strongly advocating for the JCPA.

Chavern continued, “Both short- and long-term solutions are needed, and we applaud Chairman Cicilline, Chairwoman Klobuchar, the Department of Justice, state Attorneys General, and other supporters who are continuing to push for a fair and competitive digital landscape that rewards the producers of original content, both now and in the future.

“Local news is more important than ever, but without a fair deal from the tech platforms, we can’t continue to invest in providing the public with high-quality journalism critical to our democracy.”

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Click here to read Chavern’s written testimony.

Click here for a statement for the record by Maribel Perez Wadsworth, President of News for Gannett Media and Publisher of USA TODAY.

The Journalism Competition & Preservation Act

On March 10, House Antitrust Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ranking Member Ken Buck (R-CO) reintroduced the Journalism Competition & Preservation Act in the House, which would provide a limited antitrust safe harbor for news publishers to collectively negotiate with the platforms for fair compensation for the use of their content. An identical bill was also introduced Wednesday in the Senate by Antitrust Subcommittee Chair Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator John N. Kennedy (R-LA).

Members of Congress are also considering more comprehensive solutions to strengthen the bill. These options could include a mechanism to ensure equitable terms are offered to all news publishers, small and large, and an oversight mechanism to ensure the platforms participate in good faith.

Click here to read our press release about the hearing.

Learn more.

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Remarks to include discussion of dominant tech platforms’ impact on the sustainability of quality journalism and the need for legislation that ensures fair compensation

Arlington, VA – The News Media Alliance will testify today at 10:00 a.m. ET at a House Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law Subcommittee hearing, “Reviving Competition, Part 2: Saving the Free and Diverse Press,” on the need for the dominant tech platforms, such as Facebook and Google, to compensate news publishers fairly for use of their content. The Alliance submitted written testimony yesterday, ahead of the hearing. A statement for the record by Maribel Perez Wadsworth, President of News for Gannett Media and Publisher of USA TODAY, can also be found here.

Alliance President & CEO, David Chavern, will testify at the hearing, as well as Brad Smith, President of Microsoft; Emily Barr, CEO of Graham Media; Jonathan Schleuss, President of the NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America; Glenn Greenwald, Journalist and Constitutional Lawyer; and Clay Travis, Founder of Outkick Media.

On Wednesday, House Antitrust Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ranking Member Ken Buck (R-CO) reintroduced the Journalism Competition & Preservation Act in the House, which would provide a limited antitrust safe harbor for news publishers to collectively negotiate with the platforms for fair compensation for the use of their content. An identical bill was also introduced Wednesday in the Senate by Antitrust Subcommittee Chair Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator John N. Kennedy (R-LA).

Members of Congress are also considering more comprehensive solutions to strengthen the bill. These options could include a mechanism to ensure equitable terms are offered to all news publishers, small and large, and an oversight mechanism to ensure the platforms participate in good faith.

News Media Alliance President & CEO David Chavern stated, “We are encouraged by the recent developments in Australia and Europe and that new compensation systems for publishers are gaining support here in the U.S. Quality journalism is key to sustaining civic society, and we must ensure that the digital ecosystem returns value back to the people who create that journalism. The cost of inaction is clearer than ever, as we’ve seen that in the absence of news, misinformation and hate speech run rampant and unchecked. We need trusted sources of journalism – particularly local and community publishers – now more than ever, but without at least an antitrust safe harbor, news publishers will have no capacity to collectively fight for their futures.”

Current laws prohibit news publishers from taking collective action by negotiating with the large online platforms for fair compensation for all news publishers – large and small – across the board. This legislation would provide news publishers with a limited opportunity to negotiate together and to withhold content from the online platforms during the negotiations, while presenting a sensible, market-based solution to a major threat to the future of high-quality journalism.

The Alliance applauds Reps. Cicilline and Buck and Sens. Klobuchar and Kennedy for their leadership in support of local news and looks forward to working with them on ways to further strengthen the bill to ensure equitable terms and fair compensation for the valuable content being produced by all news publishers, including small and local.

The world is moving toward a new and more equitable compensation system for publishers and that basic idea now has wide support across the political spectrum and is the cornerstone of all comprehensive solutions. News publishers’ ability to build a sustainable digital future for journalism will depend, in large part, on their ability to get fair compensation from Facebook and Google. Quality journalism supports democracy and it is more important than ever to ask our elected representatives to support legislation that brings value back to those who create journalism.

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Media contact:
Lindsey Loving
Director, Communications
lindsey@newsmediaalliance.org
571.366.1009

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

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Bill will provide safe harbor for news publishers to collectively negotiate with tech platforms

Arlington, VA –The News Media Alliance applauds House Antitrust Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI), Ranking Member Ken Buck (R-CO), 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 a limited antitrust safe harbor for news publishers to collectively negotiate with Facebook and Google for fair compensation for the use of their content.

In response to the bill reintroduction in both the House and Senate, News Media Alliance President & CEO, David Chavern, said, “This is a huge milestone for U.S. news publishers. As we have seen over the last several weeks in Australia and Europe, the world is moving toward new compensation systems for publishers. The cost of inaction, in terms of the spread of misinformation we are all experiencing, is simply too great to ignore any longer. Quality journalism is key to sustaining civic society and we must ensure that the digital ecosystem returns value back to the people who create that journalism.”

Since 2018, the News Media Alliance has been vocally advocating for such legislation in the U.S., which it believes is needed to address the imbalance in the news publisher-platform relationship. “Without an antitrust safe harbor, news publishers will have no capacity to collectively fight for their futures,” Chavern said.

The previous bill received support from several Representatives and Senators on both sides of the aisle and has now been reintroduced in the 117th Congress to continue progressing forward.

Chavern added, “We are grateful to Chairs Cicilline and Klobuchar, Ranking Member Buck, and Senator Kennedy for their commitment to quality journalism, and we look forward to working with them on ways to further strengthen the bill to ensure equitable terms and fair compensation for the valuable content being produced by all news publishers, including small and community publishers. News publishers need a fighting chance with the tech platforms that currently control who receives our content and how much we are paid.”

Currently, the Duopoly captures 90 percent of all digital ad revenue growth and approximately 60 percent of total U.S. digital advertising revenue. The Alliance joins the members of Congress in their belief that a safe harbor for news publishers to allow them to come together to negotiate with the platforms on their overall behalf is the solution to this problem.

That basic idea now has wide support across the political spectrum and is the cornerstone of all comprehensive solutions. More information on the bill can be found in the News Media Alliance’s JCPA Talking Points.

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Media contact:
Lindsey Loving
Director, Communications
lindsey@newsmediaalliance.org
571.366.1009

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

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News Media Alliance President and CEO, David Chavern, stated, “These SBA loans will allow news publishers to continue to bring critical news and information to their local communities, particularly at this time of historic challenges.”

The language is similar to the “Local News and Emergency Information Act of 2020” introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John Boozman (R-AR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in the Senate, and by Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ranking Member F. James Sensenbrenner (WI-05) in the House.

The Alliance is extremely grateful to all of the congressional champions, in both the House and the Senate, for their enduring support of high-quality local journalism, and for their leadership in gathering bipartisan support for an SBA affiliation waiver for news publishers.

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