This week, the News Media Alliance will host virtual meetings between Alliance member newspaper executives and their members of Congress to advocate for the passage of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA), also known as the “Safe Harbor bill.”
Recent events continue to demonstrate that journalism and journalists are a necessary part of our democracy and critical to a well-functioning government and an informed electorate. There are many challenges for news media and journalists in today’s landscape. As members of the 117th Congress consider solutions to these challenges, the News Media for Open Government (NMOG) coalition calls on Congress to promote policies that bolster the First Amendment, the value of journalists, a free press, and a more transparent and open government.
On December 28, National Review published a column by News Media Alliance President & CEO, David Chavern, discussing the recent lawsuit by ten attorneys general against Google for anticompetitive behavior, and the need for Congress to grant an antitrust safe harbor for news publishers.
The News Media Alliance applauds Congress for approving another round of stimulus legislation, and for including an affiliation waiver that will allow previously ineligible news publishers to apply for the Small Business Administration (SBA) PPP loans as individual, independent entities.
Election news coverage is often considered horse-race coverage, but news outlets across the country have focused on something far more impactful in 2020 — how Americans are being affected by changes to voting procedure amidst the ongoing public health crisis, as well as what voters need to know to ensure that their votes count.
The News Media Alliance commends Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Chris Coons (D-DE) for introducing the “Heroes Small Business Lifeline Act” that provides a Small Business Administration (SBA) affiliation waiver that would allow more news publishers to apply for SBA loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Recording now available! – Hosted by Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, a panel will discuss the importance of protecting press freedom, the recent uptick in violence against journalists in the U.S., and our path forward.
The First Amendment enshrines fundamental freedoms so core to our democracy that they must be honored. But the First Amendment has limits, and non-government entities that are granted the ability and power to spread speech must not be immune to the repercussions of their actions. The most powerful market actors should not be allowed to censor or silence free speech, or promote false, potentially harmful information with no accountability.
Today, a House version of the “Local News and Emergency Information Act of 2020” was introduced by Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ranking Member F. James Sensenbrenner (WI-05) that offers legislative text around a Small Business Administration affiliation waiver that would allow more news publishers to apply for SBA loans under the Paycheck Protection Program.
The Alliance has been working over the last six weeks to enhance the ability of newspapers to get recognition and relief during the COVID-19 pandemic – making sure that newspapers are recognized as “essential” businesses; fighting restrictions that would have excluded certain newspapers under the original CARES Act; and advocating for a delay in pension payments. We have continued to work over the last couple of weeks to expand the SBA loan program to more newspaper companies and to encourage the federal government to immediately direct current spending on advertising to local media outlets.
