Defending Journalism in the Age of Big Tech

In 2023, broadcasters continued to rally around the bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA). Reintroduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (MN) and John Kennedy (LA) in the Senate in March, the JCPA addresses the dominant online platforms' power over local news organizations by allowing them to jointly negotiate with dominant tech platforms regarding the terms by which their content may be accessed online.

• In June, NAB applauded the Senate Judiciary Committee for its strong bipartisan passage of the JCPA, as local news outlets have long been at the mercy of Big Tech behemoths that devalue broadcasters' critical community-focused journalism when it is accessed online.
• Broadcasters and other news content creators are heartened by the efforts of other jurisdictions - from Canada to California - in taking on this issue and continue to be astonished that the platforms' responses range from outright opposition to threats to remove all news content from their platforms. These harmful responses demonstrate their market power and need for action.

Why it matters:

This legislation represents a targeted, practical solution to the dangers Big Tech's dominance presents to local journalism.