On September 13, the Alliance joined a letter with 62 other media organizations urging the Supreme Court to make permanent its practice of providing the public with access to a live audio feed of oral arguments before the Court. The letter, led by RCFP, outlines the strong arguments for making access to the live audio feed permanent. The practice, which was started by the Court in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, has greatly increased access to the Court’s proceedings, not only to the public but to journalists across the country. With the feed, the press can report on arguments before the Court more accurately and in real time. This information significantly benefits the public in enhancing their understanding of the functioning of the Court and the broader role that the Court plays in our legal system and democracy. The Alliance supports open access to Supreme Court proceedings and urges the Court to make the live audio feed a permanent practice in support of ongoing transparency. Read more.

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Building the technology that underpins the online advertising ecosystem is a lucrative business. The two largest online advertising companies, Alphabet and Meta (parent companies of Google and Facebook, respectively) are also some of the most valuable companies that have ever existed. But many other companies have found success in the ad tech market, earning money by inserting themselves into advertising transactions that once took place between only advertisers and publishers. However, three recent developments suggest that ad tech – which already has many known flaws – may be negatively impacting publishers even more than previously understood.

The black box of ad technology, particularly “brand safety” tech, has long been suspected to cause harm by needlessly scaring advertisers away from supporting news with their ad buys. We now have even more insight into the harm caused to advertisers and publishers by these unscrupulous middlemen, supporting our previous call for advertisers to walk away from this system.

The first notable finding centers on the fees siphoned away from publishers. Research conducted by Adalytics found that the fees taken by the “supply chain” range from 22-45 percent, with an average of 35 percent of ad dollars taken from publishers. In some extreme cases, demand-side and supply-side platforms (DSPs and SSPs) take 98 percent of an advertiser’s spend, leaving a mere two percent for publishers. The study also highlights how in the complex, auction-based system, some SSPs deliberately take a loss on some bids, “juicing their overall win rate.” Publishers are trapped in a system controlled by companies with few motives beyond winning, so that they can continue to take their cut on sales.

Even ad tech companies that claim to be looking out for advertisers and publishers do not seem to be acting honestly. “Brand safety” companies prey on advertisers’ concerns about where their ads will run, providing little benefit to brands while cutting off publishers from revenue that could be reinvested into newsgathering and distribution by encouraging keyword blocking. A joint statement from the News Media Alliance and Digital Content Next in 2020 explained:

Fact-based, reliable journalism supports the online ecosystem by providing readers with invaluable information and advertisers with high-quality content and access to these readers. Keyword blocking threatens this symbiotic relationship at the worst possible time.

This threat made it more difficult for news organizations to report on Covid-19 and the January 6 riots, and will make it more difficult in the face of hostilities in Ukraine.

Beyond harming news publishers, many brand safety tools don’t even do what they promise. On March 8, The Wall Street Journal reported that Gannett inadvertently reported inaccurate information about the location of ad placements to its advertisers. In a fully programmatic and machine-led marketplace, no individual advertiser can see every live ad, and reporting is vital for their tracking. However, Gannett’s error – which was widely agreed to not be malicious or fraudulent – highlights another flaw in the system. “Brand safety” companies sell tools and earn money from advertisers and publishers on the promise of avoiding just this type of mistake through careful monitoring and reporting. However, the brand safety trackers failed to flag this issue for months. As Matt Rogerson, head of public policy at Guardian Media Group tweeted:

Question from a dummy: if Gannett was doing this in error, what’s to stop far end of web sites from feeding the same data into the ecosystem? Similarly, if the ecosystem not catching these errors re Gannett, how can we believe they are catching them for bad actors?

— Matt Rogerson (@MattRogerson) March 10, 2022

Implicit in his question was why these companies should earn millions of dollars.

The brand safety companies – while not doing what they claim to – have found new ways to drain value from publishers. A March 10 report in Morning Brew details an additional form of abuse – ad tech companies scraping publisher data and selling contextual advertising segments based on it without permission. Contextual advertising – where the content of the story matters more than the reader’s data profile – is seen as one potential way for publishers to earn back some control in the marketplace with the disappearance of audience-based cookies. This scraping is, according to the trade groups quoted by Morning Brew, “not only a violation of publisher terms and conditions, but also the potential infringement of basic intellectual property rights.” Publishers seemingly can’t win, even with their own assets.

The harm that ad tech companies cause to publishers is now clearer than ever. They take away publishers’ ability to earn enough on advertisements to support the expensive, important work of gathering and sharing real news, waste their dollars with fraud and sell useless “safety” tools that don’t make things safer. And in an age when disinformation is rampant online and information warfare is fueling actual war in Ukraine, choosing to support real news outlets directly and advertising alongside high-quality news can literally save lives.

The post Ad Tech: It’s Worse Than We Thought appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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Some newspapers applying for the SBA’s PPP forgivable loan program using the affiliation waiver have experienced issues applying through their lenders. The News Media Alliance has been in contact with the SBA about this issue and we are offering assistance.

Newspapers that have applied for the SBA’s PPP forgivable loan program using the affiliation waiver can apply individually and separately from the parent owner, thereby circumventing employee count limitations.

If either of the following two situations applies to you, please see the instructions below to provide information that we will share with SBA:

1. If you have had trouble applying through your lender because your newspapers are applying separately but using the same EIN tax ID number as the corporate owner, the SBA has agreed to accept those loans manually. Their system will accept the combined loan application in their system under one EIN and I will provide them those which they can manually flag as compliant post-submission.

2. In addition, the SBA will make similar exceptions for second draw loans for newspapers that are unaffiliating themselves and applying as separate newspapers from the parent or group of newspapers in order to meet the loss requirements for a second draw (now allowable under the law). In those cases, banks have rejected some of the loans because the applicant name on the second draw loan is not the same as the first draw loan. SBA will make similar allowances here, manually. Their system will only allow a second draw loan if it has the same name as the first draw loan, and I will provide the EINs so that they can flag as compliant as separate newspapers under the second draw post-submission.

If you fall under either of the two categories above, please click here and provide the following information in order to allow for those loans to be accepted from the lender to the SBA:

• Your name / email
• EIN number
• Lender
• Full applicant name 
• Location (states) of newspapers 

Please contact News Media Alliance Senior VP and General Counsel, Danielle Coffey with any questions.

The post Assistance for Newspapers: SBA PPP Affiliation Waiver Loans appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

The News Media Alliance has partnered with the Ad Council to provide print and digital PSAs for newspapers to help provide important public education about the COVID-19 vaccine.

About the ‘It’s Up to You’ Campaign

The COVID-19 vaccines have the potential to transform life as we know it today and save hundreds of thousands of lives—but they can only be successful if millions of Americans recognize the urgency, safety and vital importance of getting vaccinated.

While many have already started the vaccination process, there is currently a general lack of confidence. Overall, 40% of the U.S. public have expressed concerns, ranging from “skeptical” to “open but uncertain,” about getting vaccinated.

The It’s Up to You campaign from The Ad Council encourages audiences to get the latest vaccine information—knowing that personal education is the first step in building vaccine confidence. It’s OK to have questions. We want to acknowledge Americans’ concerns, provide answers to their questions, and get us all on the road back to the moments and people we miss most.

How You Can Use the Ads

Below are the individual ad files for newspapers to use in their print and digital editions free of charge. Ads are available in English and Spanish, in full- and quarter-page sizes for print, and in banner and cube sizes for digital.

If you are interested in creating custom vaccine content and messaging, visit The Ad Council’s Media Playbook. You can request access to the ‘It’s Up To You’ logo and reference their brand guidelines.

Print Ads

English:

Download the individual ads using the links below.

Full-page (11.5 x 21″)

“Birthday Parties”

Vaccines Are Here
Getting Back

“First Haircut”

Vaccines Are Here
Getting Back

“Moments We Miss”

Quarter-page (5.7 x 10.5″):

“Birthday Parties”

Getting Back
Vaccines Are Here

“First Haircut”

Getting Back
Vaccines Are Here

“Moments We Miss”

Spanish:

Download the individual ads using the links below.

Full-page (11.5 x 21″)

Family “Vacunas Aqui”
Family “Volver a disfrutar”

Quarter-page (5.7 x 10.5″):

Family “Vacunas Aqui”
Family “Volver a disfrutar”

Digital Ads:

Link to www.getvaccineanswers.org

Access the tagging instructions here

Banner (728 x 90px):

Right-click and select “Save image as” to download JPEG file.

Cube (300 x 250px):

Right-click and select “Save image as” to download JPEG file.

Social Posts:

Click here to download graphics and suggested post copy for use on social media.

For more info visit getvaccineanswers.org

Back to top

The post ‘It’s Up to You’ Vaccine Education Ad PSAs – Ad Council appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

The Alliance worked with the House and Senate on these provisions. Representative Richard Neal (D-MA), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Senator Patty Murray (R-WA), Chairwoman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, were instrumental in their support of the inclusion of these provisions.

News Media Alliance President & CEO, David Chavern, stated, “We are very pleased that these pension relief provisions were included in the COVID-19 relief and economic stimulus package – they will provide newspapers with the flexibility to manage their pension plans over the long-term while continuing to invest in local journalism that their readers have come to expect. News publishers were already struggling before COVID-19 made itself known, and yet as our country has been fighting the pandemic for the past year, journalists have been working tirelessly to bring important news and information to their communities to help them stay safe and informed. We thank Chairman Neal and Chairwoman Murray for their leadership in shepherding these pension provisions and for their dedication to preserving high-quality local journalism.”

The American Rescue Plan Act contains changes to the “community newspaper” provision that was passed in the SECURE Act in 2019 that allows community newspapers with defined pension plans to increase the interest rate used to calculate funding obligations to 8 percent and provides for a longer amortization period for pension shortfalls from seven to 30 years. The changes will provide relief to several independently owned newspapers that were excluded from the relief because of definitional issues but should have qualified given the intent of the provision.

As it has in the past when our economy has faced a shock to its system, Congress made changes to single employer plans allowing plan sponsors to use a 25-year interest rate average or “interest rate smoothing” in determining future obligations, and allows funding shortfalls to be spread out over a 15-year amortization period. These provisions address concerns that historically low interest rates were creating inflated pension funding obligations and that the current COVID-19 crisis would force companies to spend revenues on longer-term pension obligations instead of putting assets toward maintaining and creating jobs in a volatile economic environment.

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The post Statement: News Media Alliance Applauds Inclusion of Pension Relief for Community Newspapers in Stimulus Plan appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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.

The post Statement: News Media Alliance Applauds Passage of SBA Affiliation Waiver for News Publishers in New Stimulus appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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The past nine months have been uniquely trying for us all; yet as we enter the holiday season, I am reminded of all that we have to be thankful for – yes, even in 2020. It may not be the year we envisioned back on January 1, but there have been some bright, shining moments for the news industry and for the Alliance in this strange, dark year.

I’d like to start my gratitude with our amazing members. I’m thankful for the amazing courage and fortitude they’ve shown in the face of unimaginable challenges, as well as their continued faith in our mission and in the industry’s bright future. This year, our members served as essential frontline workers, reporting on the challenges faced by their communities as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the country. Reporters and editors risked their health to keep their readers informed when they needed it most. Our members also risked their safety to cover protests as civil unrest sent people into the streets to call for action, and a number of journalists suffered extreme injuries in the process of bringing those stories to the public.

I’ve also seen the way my colleagues in the press have covered these challenging times, and it has been incredibly difficult – yet awe-inspiring – to read the news coverage as the year has progressed. Through the News Impact Project, our initiative to highlight the positive impact local journalism has on communities, I’ve seen how local journalists have kept their communities informed, from smart local stories on the ongoing public health crisis to thoughtful and educational articles on the 2020 elections. I’ve also watched how publishers across the media landscape covered the Black Lives Matter movement and used their platforms to advocate for Black lives.

Watching how members of the press have responded to the multitude of challenges that have beset their communities in 2020 has been truly inspiring. Representing the brave and committed members of the media is a pleasure and I’m grateful for the role of championing such an important and vital industry.

I’m also grateful this year for the growing appreciation of the news media, especially local news publishers. While we still struggle with misinformation and disinformation clouding the landscape, as providers of high-quality journalism, we have seen our audience grow in 2020 as people turned to us to stay informed during increasingly complicated times. News readership is higher than it’s ever been, and our support with civic leaders has grown as well. Local government leaders across the country deemed news reporters essential workers during the coronavirus shutdowns, allowing them to continue their vital work. We’ve also seen more leaders challenging the tech platforms. The Department of Justice filed suit against Google for violating antitrust regulations in its search and advertising practices, a stepping stone toward a more comprehensive antitrust action against the platform. At the Federal Communications Commission, discussions were held about the interpretation and effectiveness of Section 230. And the support continued in Congress, with members of both the Senate and the House releasing reports on the threats that Big Tech pose to news publishers. The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, which the Alliance has championed for over a year, has also gotten more bipartisan support from key leaders, leaving me optimistic that we’ll see further action on this safe harbor bill for news publisher early in the new Congress next year.

Most of all, though, I’m grateful for the work I am able to do with the support of my team at the Alliance. In the early months of the pandemic, my colleagues worked tirelessly to keep members informed of changes and challenges that would affect their ability to work and report the news. They have continued to pursue government aid and other relief to help news publishers through this difficult time. Every day I get to work with my team to support this industry is one I’m grateful for; but seeing the Alliance Board members and staff come together so quickly and seamlessly to aid our members last March reinvigorated me. And despite the curve ball 2020 has thrown us, we continued to make headway on other key priorities for our members and the news industry. Though we are facing a series of challenges no one could have envisioned, the Alliance team has taken it in stride, adapted to the new normal, and continued to do amazing work to support our members.

If you had asked me in January, I would have told you that I was ready for whatever came our way. That I was eager to continue my role as a pugilist for the media industry. I did not imagine I could feel even more strongly about the fight we’re in to save quality journalism and provide a sustainable future for real news. However, watching the Alliance team, Board and members band together and push forward through challenge after challenge has lit a new fire in me.

I don’t know what 2021 holds. I am certain it will include many of the same challenges we’ve been facing this year, as well as new ones we can’t yet conceive of. But I am also certain that the Alliance will continue to fight – harder than ever – to support quality news publishers. And I can guarantee that my team and I will lead the charge to create an even brighter future for news.

The post CEO Column: Yes, There Are Things to Be Thankful for In 2020 appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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On October 9, the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced rate changes for Marketing Mail and for Periodicals mail. Assuming that the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) will approve the new rates, they will go into effect on January 24, 2021.

In Marketing Mail, rates for High Density Plus and Saturation flats – used primarily by newspapers’ Target Market Coverage (TMC) packages – will not change at all. In the category of Marketing Mail, USPS devoted much of its available rate authority under the price cap structure to increase rates for catalogs and parcels. However, it should be noted, if your TMC package includes a Detached Address Label and Detached Marketing Labels, there will be a one cent increase per label.

In Periodicals Mail, the In-County pound rate and the carrier route piece rates will not change, but the rate for Non-barcoded 5-Digit flats will rise by 8.22 percent.

In Outside County mail, USPS is making changes to encourage mailers to enter their mail in ways that the agency can handle more efficiently. Most notably, the USPS is establishing a separate rate for trays (“tubs”), so for the first time they will be priced differently from sacks. The National Newspaper Association, representing primarily weekly newspapers, has been pushing for this change for some time. The new trays rate will rise by less than 0.4 percent, while the sacks rate will increase by more than 5.5 percent. Thus, for the first time, trays will be priced lower than sacks. As with In-County mail, the pound rate also will not change.

Workshare discount passthroughs in the proposed Periodicals rates are quite low. For example, for In-County, there is no workshare discount for entering at the Destination Delivery Unit or local post office, and the discount for sorting to the Carrier Route level passes through only 34.9 percent of the costs avoided. The Postal Service’s filing in this rate case devotes several pages to arguing that workshare passthroughs should not be required to be set at or near 100 percent in a class, such as Periodicals, that does not cover its costs.

Here is a list of examples of the rate changes for newspapers’ products that are mailed through the Postal Service.

While we expected USPS to keep rates relatively low given the impact of Covid-19 on the mailing industry, this could change in future years as the PRC has proposed a new rate setting system that would allow USPS to raise prices beyond the statutory rate cap outlined in the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.  If this happens, rates for newspapers’ TMC and editorial products could skyrocket in the coming years. The Alliance will fight at the PRC and in Congress to maintain this rate cap that has ensured reasonable and predictable rate changes, and which has incentivized mailers to maintain mail volumes in the system.

If you have any questions, please contact Alliance Senior VP, Public Policy, Paul Boyle.

The post USPS Proposes Rate Changes – Minor to No Change for Newspapers’ Mailed Products appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

This waiver language follows that included in the updated HEROES Act passed by the House on October 1. Both bills would allow news publishers to apply for PPP loans as individual, independent entities, despite ownership by companies with other small news publishers or non-news businesses, allowing more publishers to qualify for the vital loans.

The Alliance is extremely grateful to Senators Cardin, Shaheen, Schumer, and Coons for their support of high-quality, local journalism, and for their leadership in gathering extensive support for the bill in the Senate with 29 Senators having already signed on as co-sponsors. These SBA loans, which will allow news publishers to continue bringing critical news and information to their local communities, are more critical than ever, as news publishers face extreme challenges from the coronavirus pandemic.

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