house judiciary committee Archives - News/Media Alliance

Statement: News/Media Alliance Applauds Passage of PRESS Act in House

Staff — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 01:12:30 +0000

The News/Media Alliance applauds the House of Representatives for unanimously passing H.R.4250—the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act (PRESS Act). The PRESS Act would establish reasonable ground rules for when the government can obtain confidential source information from journalists and their third-party service providers obtained throughout the newsgathering process.

Alliance President and CEO Danielle Coffey stated, “The PRESS Act provides a vital safeguard for the important work of the free press in reporting on matters important to our communities, without fear of government interference or intimidation. The Alliance thanks Representatives Kevin Kiley and Jamie Raskin for their leadership on this bill in the House and we look forward to supporting this important bi-partisan bill advancing in the Senate.”

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Statement: News/Media Alliance Applauds House Judiciary for Unanimous Vote in Favor of the PRESS Act

Staff — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:04:51 +0000

The News/Media Alliance applauds the House Judiciary Committee for unanimously voting, 23-0, in favor of H.R. 4250, the bipartisan ‘Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act’ (“PRESS Act”). The PRESS Act would establish reasonable ground rules for when the government can obtain confidential source information from the media and their third-party service providers. The bill was reintroduced this Congress, by Representatives Kevin Kiley (R-CA-3) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8), after unanimously passing the House last Congress. The bill provides much-needed safeguards to protect the important investigative work of the free press on matters critical to preserving our democracy. The Alliance looks forward to the bill advancing in both the House and Senate and will continue to support legislative efforts that protect journalists throughout the newsgathering process.

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Senate Leaders to Introduce an Antitrust Bill to Rein in Online Platforms

Staff — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 15:17:39 +0000

On October 14, a bipartisan group of Senators, led by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chair of the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, announced that they would be introducing the American Innovation and Choice Online Act next week to rein in the anticompetitive behavior of the dominant online platforms. The bill, similar to the bill introduced in the House by Reps. David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ken Buck (R-CO) and marked up by the House Judiciary Committee in June, aims to prevent the online platforms from self-preferencing their own products and services while discriminating against others in the digital ecosystem. The bill would prohibit platforms from abusing their gatekeeper status “in a manner that would material harm competition on the platform,” in addition to prohibiting other specific harmful behaviors, and providing antitrust enforcers strong tools to combat violations. In addition to Senators Klobuchar and Grassley, the bill’s original co-sponsors will include Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Kennedy (R-LA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Josh Hawley (R-MO). Read more about the bill here.

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Statement: Anticompetitive Behavior by Some Big Tech Platforms Harms Quality Journalism

Staff — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 13:20:43 +0000

On Wednesday, July 29, in a House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee hearing titled, “Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 6: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google,” members of Congress will question the CEOs of the big tech platforms about their dominance of the digital marketplace. The hearing is the sixth in a series of hearings focused on the dominant online platforms and the adequacy of existing antitrust laws and enforcement. According to a joint statement from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI), “Given the central role these corporations play in the lives of the American people, it is critical that their CEOs are forthcoming. As we have said from the start, their testimony is essential for us to complete this investigation.” The bipartisan investigation was launched last year by Chairman Cicilline and then Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, Doug Collins (R-GA).

The News Media Alliance supports the efforts by these congressional leaders to bring to light anticompetitive behaviors undertaken by the big tech platforms, particularly as they are harming news publishers and high-quality journalism. Alliance President & CEO David Chavern stated, “This hearing is a rare opportunity to examine the role of dominant technology companies in our economic and civic life. We hope that the Committee will spend some of the time highlighting how some platforms – notably, Google and Facebook – are accelerating the spread of misinformation, while also undermining the businesses of quality news publishers. But more broadly, we hope that the hearing helps improve public understanding of how companies with massive and anticompetitive market positions are impeding the growth and development of our economy, rather than propelling it forward.”

Chavern testified at the first hearing in this series, held on June 11, 2019, titled, “Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 1: The Free and Diverse Press.” The Alliance, as well as most of the witnesses at that hearing, expressed support for the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in the House and the Senate last year that would allow news publishers to collectively negotiate with the online platforms. In his testimony, Chavern noted the need for a solution for sustainable journalism and that failing to take stronger action to protect news publishers across the country would pose a risk to our civic society. Most of the witnesses at the time also supported stronger antitrust scrutiny of big tech companies.

Last month, the Alliance published a White Paper, “How Google Abuses Its Position as a Market Dominant Platform to Strong-Arm News Publishers and Hurt Journalism,” which it submitted to the Department of Justice as they proceed with an investigation of Google’s anticompetitive behavior. The White Paper, which is based on more than a year of interviews and consultations with many Alliance members about their experiences with Google products, outlines several of the ways in which Google uses news content to its advantage across its products and services.

The Antitrust Subcommittee hearing will be livestreamed on Wednesday, July 29 beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET, here.

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House Judiciary Hearing: Online Platforms and Market Power

Staff — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 17:30:44 +0000

Image: Getty

What: Hearing on “Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 6: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple”

When: Wednesday, July 29 at 12:00 p.m. ET

Where: Online – click here to watch the live stream.

The House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, “Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 6: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple.” This is part of the ongoing investigation that started last June regarding competition in the digital marketplace.

Witnesses:

Jeff Bezos, CEO, Amazon
Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook

Video: Highlights from the House Judiciary Hearing on Online Platforms and the Free Press

Staff — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 14:43:29 +0000

On June 11, Alliance President and CEO David Chavern testified before the House Judiciary Committee on “Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 1: The Free and Diverse Press,” a hearing about the impact tech platforms like Google and Facebook have on news publishers. You can watch our highlight reel above.

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