Klobuchar & Kennedy Re-Introduce Journalism Antitrust Bill

Senators Amy Klobuchar and John Kennedy have reintroduced the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, a bipartisan effort to allow local news outlets to negotiate for fair compensation from large digital platforms.The bill aims to address the imbalance that favors tech giants and thwarts quality journalism produced by news organizations, as most Americans consume news through digital platforms.

In her testimony, Bertetto highlighted that dominant digital platforms don’t properly compensate local news agencies for their content, with Google providing the Trib with $144,000 each year, a small amount compared to the $7 million needed to pay its journalists annually. She called on lawmakers to act quickly.

Read more: Mike Lee Introduces Antitrust Bill Targeting Ad Tech

Last Congress, the legislation passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 15-7 vote.

“As the daughter of a newspaperman, I understand firsthand the vital role that a free press plays in strengthening our democracy,” Klobuchar said in a statement after reintroducing the measure. “But local news is facing an existential crisis, from ad revenues plummeting and newsrooms across the country closing to artificial intelligence tools taking content. To preserve strong, independent journalism, news organizations must be able to negotiate on a level playing field with the online platforms that dominate news distribution and digital advertising.”