“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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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, D.C. – A new national survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Schoen Cooperman Research (SCR) for the News Media Alliance shows that 70 percent of Americans support Congress passing the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA). The JCPA is legislation designed to allow small and local publishers to band together to collectively negotiate fairer terms for use of their content by Big Tech platforms, such as Google and Facebook.

In the past two decades, Americans have watched their local papers shutter their doors or reduce their footprint in their communities as Google and Facebook built an advertising duopoly and deployed algorithms to systematically devalue high-quality journalism in favor of provocative content. This trend is affecting Americans’ attitudes toward Big Tech companies, as the survey shows that the public is worried about Big Tech’s influence over the news publishing industry and is concerned that the tech giants are driving small and local news outlets out of business.

The purpose of the survey by SCR was to understand American sentiments and concerns surrounding Big Tech’s role in society generally, and specifically the influence of Big Tech companies in the news and publishing industries. In addition, the survey sought to understand the public’s receptivity toward – and support for – curbing the power of Big Tech companies, through vehicles such as the JCPA.

“Americans have made it unequivocally clear – they want to preserve the high-quality journalism of small and local outlets across the country that have been decimated by Big Tech,” SCR Founder and Partner Douglas Schoen said. “Despite historic levels of partisanship, Americans on both sides of the aisle overwhelmingly want to hold Google and Facebook accountable and pass legislation like the JCPA that can save local journalism, protect free speech, and defend our democracy.”

Key findings of the survey are:

• 79 percent of Americans believe that Big Tech has too much power over the news and publishing industries.
• 76 percent of Americans believe that Big Tech companies are driving small and local news outlets out of business.
• 86 percent of Americans believe that Big Tech should be required to offer the same compensation terms to local publishers as they do national news organizations.
• 81 percent of Americans support Congress taking steps to give small and local publishers more power in negotiations with Big Tech companies.

The results of the survey reinforce the findings from a poll conducted by Echelon Insights in 2021 that found that Republican voters overwhelmingly support the passage of the JCPA and want to hold Big Tech accountable. The SCR survey also comes on the heels of the JCPA gaining momentum in Congress and new revisions to the bill that would refocus the legislation to apply only to small and local news outlets.

Read an op-ed by Schoen on the survey findings published on FoxNews.com: “Moves to curb Big Tech’s power over news and publishing find widespread support”

Methodology 

The survey was commissioned by News Media Alliance and conducted by Schoen Cooperman Research. Live telephone (550 cell and 365 landline) and online (100) interviews with a representative total sample of 1,015 United States adults of all age groups were completed between April 1-8, 2022. In line with the policies and standards of the American Association of Political Consultants, the mixed-method sample drawn was representative according to age, gender, and region of U.S. adults. The complete data set was also weighted by ethnicity, so that the sample composition best reflects the demographic profile of the adult U.S. population according to the most recent Census data.

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Media Contact:
Lindsey Loving
Director, Communications
News Media Alliance
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.

Schoen Cooperman Research (SCR) is a strategic research firm that helps political, corporate and advocacy partners drive transformative change. SCR helps clients win elections, advance causes and build their brands by conducting in-depth quantitative and qualitative research and using insights to develop high-level strategies that provide a roadmap to decision-making and success.

The post Americans Overwhelmingly Support Big Tech Compensating Local Papers appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Washington, D.C. – Released today, new polling from Echelon Insights, in partnership with the News Media Alliance, found that a majority of the 956 Republican voters surveyed support the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA), a bipartisan bill that would grant news publishers a limited, temporary safe harbor to negotiate better business terms with Big Tech platforms, including Facebook and Google.

Key data points include: 

• 73% of Republican voters surveyed believe that local news outlets and conservative media need to be able to band together to better negotiate a fair deal with Big Tech.
• Three out of four (75%) Republican voters surveyed believe that Big Tech should not be allowed to profit from news content unless it is fairly compensating news organizations for using that content.
• 70% of Republican voters surveyed believe Facebook and Google take advantage of news publishers when they negotiate on a one-on-one basis and use their power to ignore small, local, and conservative news publishers, leaving them out of negotiations entirely.
• More than two-thirds (67%) of Republican respondents agree that elected officials who oppose the JCPA are allowing Big Tech to have all the negotiating power instead of arming conservative and local media with the tools to fight back.

The results of this poll further cement what JCPA supporters in Congress have been saying: voters value their local news publishers and believe that it is now more important than ever to level the playing field between small, local and independent publications and Big Tech. Congress must pass the JCPA to protect quality, local journalism.

For more information on the JCPA, visit the Alliance’s Safe Harbor Resource Center at www.SafeHarborBill.com.

Media contact:
Lauren Edmonds
lauren.edmonds@fgh.com

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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