Journalists, publishers should be able to fight for fair compensation from Big Tech
Quality local journalism is essential for democracy, but for years the work of this news organization and others around the country have been victimized by the dominant practices of a few big tech companies.
Tech giants like Google and Facebook benefit from local news produced by newsrooms like ours, but they don’t return that value to us. That is a serious threat to the economic viability of local news organizations.
To give local publishers a fair shake, members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation, along with their colleagues, should support the “Journalism Competition and Preservation Act.”
This important bill has supporters in both parties. It was
introduced in March by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) and U.S. Reps. David Cicilline (DR.I.) and Ken Buck (R-N.Y.); it would allow news publishers to collectively negotiate with digital platforms.
Over the past year, Wisconsin was at the epicenter of all three of the biggest challenges facing this nation, and the Journal Sentinel and USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin gave readers robust coverage of them all:
• The coronavirus pandemic: Wisconsin was the first state to hold an in-person election after the pandemic began.
• The presidential election and its horrific aftermath: Wisconsin was a key Electoral College state and one of the most polarized in the nation.
• The protests for equity and justice: Protests began in neighboring Minnesota, spread to Milwaukee and soon led to a deadly night of violence in Kenosha.
But despite all the interest in news over the past year, local publishers around the country have continued to struggle in an environment dominated by a few mammoth technology companies.
We often hear the term “Big Media” thrown around. But as of 2018, Google and Facebook had nearly four times as much revenue as the entire news business in the United States. Google and Facebook attract about 80% of the digital ad spending and 45% of all ad spending.
Meantime, the system is stacked against publishers of local news. Google and Facebook pay to license music and many types of content, but they have refused to fairly compensate the creators of journalism.
That’s not only not fair — it threatens the public’s right to know.
Largely because of this, at least 300 news publications have closed in the last two years, costing more than 6,000 journalists their jobs. A few of the big, national news outlets are doing OK, but local news publishers, who provide the bulk of the information that citizens need to ensure a strong democracy, are imperiled.
It’s worth examining a recent development in Australia that shows a path forward.
Earlier this year, Facebook removed news from its feed in response to proposed legislation Down Under that would require the tech platforms to pay publishers for their content. In just two days, the void where news once appeared was quickly filled with misinformation and phony news stories. Facebook eventually reinstated legitimate news on its feed, and the legislation passed.
Local news publishers in this country want the ability to band together to demand better from the tech companies. But antitrust laws protect Big Tech from publishers.
So here’s what we’re left with: While the government cannot regulate news under the First Amendment, Facebook and Google are the de facto regulators. They decide what content people see and when. They undervalue quality news content, leaving the information ecosystem increasingly confusing, unreliable and unhealthy.
That’s why we believe members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation should support the “Journalism Competition and Preservation Act” (also known as the Safe Harbor Bill). It would give news publishers the ability to seek fair compensation for the use of their content, and allow them to invest in the critical newsgathering and reporting Americans depend on.
With the passage of this bill, all news publishers, especially small and local publishers, would be able to ask the tech platforms for the compensation they deserve.
The future of all local journalism may depend on it. And our democracy depends on well-informed citizens. If you agree, please let your representatives know.
Editorials are a product of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin editorial board, which operates independently from the network’s news departments. Email: jsedit@jrn.com
Call your representatives
Here is how you can contact Wisconsin’s congressional delegation:
Sen. Ron Johnson: (202) 224-5323; https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/email-the-senator
Sen. Tammy Baldwin: (202) 224-5653; https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/feedback
Rep. Bryan Steil: (202) 225-3031; https://steil.house.gov/zip-code-lookup?form=/contact/email-me
Rep. Mark Pocan: (202) 225-2906; https://pocan.house.gov/contact
Rep. Ron Kind: (202) 225-5506; https://kind.house.gov/contact
Rep. Gwen Moore: (202) 225-4572; https://gwenmoore.house.gov/contact/
Rep. Glenn Grothman: (202) 225-2476; https://grothman.house.gov/contact/
Rep. Tom Tiffany: (202) 225-3365; https://tiffany.house.gov/zip-code-lookup?form=/contact/email
Rep. Mike Gallagher (202) 225-5665; https://gallagher.house.gov/zip-code-lookup?form=/contact/email
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (202) 225-5101; email: https://fitzgerald.house.gov/contact