On Friday, March 12, the News Media Alliance President & CEO, David Chavern, testified 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. Click on the video below to watch his testimony:
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.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
