Salem, OR – This afternoon, the Oregon Senate Rules Committee voted 3-2 to advance SB 686, the Oregon Journalism Protection Act, which would require large online tech platforms to fairly compensate Oregon news organizations for local content that contributes to platform profits.
Sponsored by Senator Khanh Pham, SB 686 is modeled in part after the federal Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, Canada’s successful Online News Act that has started paying publishers, and the recent agreement reached between California Governor Gavin Newsom and Google to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to news media organizations. The News/Media Alliance has been relentlessly advocating for this bill over the last several months, working to build support for SB 686 among both publications and lawmakers, providing technical advice to Senator Pham, and submitting written testimony, and appearing in hearings on the issue.
The bill now moves to a floor vote in the Oregon Senate, likely within the next week.
Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of the News/Media Alliance, said, “Local news serves a vital role in communities all over Oregon, providing critical information, connectivity, and avenues for civic engagement in areas with no other options. But as Big Tech has taken more and more advertising profits over the years, small media companies have been forced to shrink their operations or shut down entirely. The Oregon Journalism Protection Act would be an important boost in their ability to stay afloat, and provide Oregon communities with the information and local coverage that they deserve. We are grateful to the Senate Rules Committee for passing this bill, and call upon the Senate to expeditiously pass this important legislation that would support local news.”
