On July 31, Representative Mark DeSaulnier, one of the co-sponsors of H.R. 2054, the “Journalism Competition and Preservation Act,” participated in a panel on the big tech’s impact on local journalism in San Francisco, CA. The panel, organized by the Save Journalism Project, also included representatives from multiple news organizations. During his remarks, DeSaulnier noted the effect the demise of local news has on local politics and highlighted a bill he introduced earlier this year, H.R. 3126, the “Saving Local News Act,” that would make it easier for local publishers to become classified as nonprofits. He also argued that journalists should be to license their content in order to get paid when it is distributed on digital platforms. Laura Bassett, co-founder of the Save Journalism Project, noted the need for online platforms to share digital advertising revenues with publishers. Read more about the event here.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.