Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Bipartisan legislation would allow digital publishers, newspapers to 'collectively negotiate' with Big Tech like Facebook, Google

Bipartisan legislation would allow digital publishers, newspapers to 'collectively negotiate' with Big Tech like Facebook, Google

'Newspapers are locked in a life-or-death struggle with tech giants like Google and Facebook,' Kennedy said

A bipartisan bill reintroduced Wednesday would allow digital publishers and newspapers to "collectively negotiate" fees with Big Tech companies like Facebook and Google.

Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., reintroduced the 2019 Journalism Competition and Preservation Act after countries, including Australia and France, pushed Big Tech companies to consider paying for news that they showcase on their respective websites to help fund the news industry.

"We must enable news organizations to negotiate on a level playing field with the Big Tech companies if we want to preserve a strong and independent press," Klobuchar, a staunch critic of Big Tech, said in a Wednesday statement. "This bipartisan legislation will improve the quality of reporting and ensure that journalists are able to continue their critical work."

Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, speaks during a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee confirmation hearing.


She added that U.S. "media outlets need a fighting chance when negotiating for fair treatment by the digital platforms where so many Americans consume their news."

The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act "creates a four-year safe harbor from antitrust laws for print or digital news companies to collectively negotiate with online content distributors ... regarding the terms on which the news companies' content may be distributed by online content distributors," a summary of the bill reads.

Google, Facebook and Amazon take up an estimated two-thirds of global digital ad spend.

Google announced agreements in February to pay publishers in Australia after the country passed a law that would allow the country's government to set the price of deals with news outlets if negotiations between tech companies and publishers failed.


Facebook said later in February that it had blocked users in the country from viewing or sharing news in retaliation of the law.

Facebook on Feb. 25 terminated the week-long news blackout after it reached commercial agreements with three local publishers: Schwartz Media, Solstice Media and Private Media, according to Reuters. The company did not disclose the financial details of the deals.

Developments in Australia and Europe suggest the financial balance between multibillion-dollar internet companies and news organizations might be shifting.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., speaks as FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 2, 2021.


"Newspapers are locked in a life-or-death struggle with tech giants like Google and Facebook, and it’s not a fair fight," Kennedy said in a statement. "Local papers have continued to deliver news despite declines in circulation, but readers are losing out at as their options for news coverage evaporate."

He added that the new legislation "will support the independence of local papers by giving news publishers the power to collectively negotiate with digital platforms like Google and Facebook."

Last year, Facebook announced it would pay U.S. news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and USA Today, for headlines. No financial details were released.

The social media giant said on Feb. 24 that it plans to invest $1 billion to "support the news industry" over the next three years. The company said it has invested $600 million since 2018 in news.

Google said in October that it would pay publishers $1 billion over the next three years.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
×