 David Cicilline |
Congressman David Cicilline introduced the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act on March 7 to exempt publishers from antitrust laws so they can negotiate collectively with tech platforms (Facebook, Google) over the terms regarding distribution of their content.
The Rhode Island Democrat said his bill would “ensure consumers have access to the best journalism possible.”
He noted that Facebook and Google control about 75 percent of the US digital advertising market.
If passed into law, Cicilline said his bill would “address the imbalance in the marketplace brought on by the platforms’ dominance and help trusted news publishers protect themselves and their readers.”
His bill would provide a 48-month window for newspaper companies to iron out terms for the flow of subscription and ad dollars back to publishers.
The National Newspaper Assn., American Society of News Editors and National Media Alliance are among groups to back Cicilline’s measure.
David Chavern, CEO of the NMA, commended the Congressman for “his commitment to ensure fair competition with the platforms and for his work to preserve quality journalism.”
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has replaced CEO and former California Congressman Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media sales executive.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
