Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the Journalist Protection Act, which would penalize individuals who intentionally harm journalists while they are doing their jobs.
Congress is working to improve the financial condition of the Postal Service, which mailers hope will ease pressure on USPS and reduce the need to squeeze revenues from monopoly mailers.
The News Media Alliance will testify today at 10:00 a.m. ET at a House Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law Subcommittee hearing, “Reviving Competition, Part 2: Saving the Free and Diverse Press,” on the need for the dominant tech platforms, such as Facebook and Google, to compensate news publishers fairly for use of their content.
The News Media Alliance applauds House Antitrust Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI), Ranking Member Ken Buck (R-CO), Senate Antitrust Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Senator John N. Kennedy (R-LA) for today reintroducing the “Journalism Competition and Preservation Act” (JCPA).
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)
Today, the bipartisan “Local News and Emergency Information Act” was introduced in the Senate by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John Boozman (R-AR), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), that offers legislative text around a Small Business Administration affiliation waiver for news publishers.
The Alliance is pleased to report that the latest stimulus package, introduced by U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, includes support for local news in the form of an affiliation waiver allowing more news publishers to apply for Small Business Administration 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.
Today a bipartisan letter was sent from U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Boozman (R-ARK) to their Senate colleagues urging support for expanding U.S. Small Business Administration loan access to struggling local newspapers.
