Today, Public Knowledge joined 26 public interest, consumer advocacy, and civil society groups as well as trade associations, media companies, and others in a letter urging Congressional leadership to exclude the “Journalism Competition and Preservation Act” (JCPA) from any pending legislation, including the “National Defense Authorization Act” (NDAA) – a “must-pass” bill funding military activities. The groups argue that the JCPA “contains far too many contradictions, complexities, and problems” for Congress to include it in any omnibus or must-pass legislation.
Public Knowledge contends that the “Journalism Competition and Preservation Act” fails to support local news, serving only to worsen some of the biggest problems in journalism. Bundling the bill into must-pass defense legislation is a desperate move that only demonstrates how flawed this so-called journalism bill really is.
The following can be attributed to Lisa Macpherson, Senior Policy Analyst at Public Knowledge:
“After months of debate and broad-based opposition from a wide range of stakeholders, it looks like industry lobbyists for the JCPA have once again attempted a Hail Mary pass. Longstanding questions about the JCPA’s impact on content moderation, small and independent media, industry consolidation, and copyright law – as well as the bill’s complete lack of accountability for ensuring the funds actually help support local journalists – have all gone unaddressed. In fact, the JCPA hasn’t even had a hearing or markup in the House. This kind of backroom deal is not the way to move a bill with the problems, complexities, and contradictions of the JCPA. We call on Congress to drop the JCPA from this must-pass defense bill.”
You may view the letter as well as our resources page for more information on why Public Knowledge warns Congress against adopting the JCPA.
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.
