Statement: California Journalism Preservation Act Passes Through Senate Appropriations Committee

The News/Media Alliance applauds California Senators for their continued support and steadfast commitment to passing the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA, AB 886). The bill, which was introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) in March 2023 and passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in June 2024, would require Big Tech platforms to pay news publishers and broadcasters for their use of journalism. Currently, creators of journalistic and creative content are not adequately compensated by the platforms for the use of their work that takes a tremendous investment to produce.

News/Media Alliance President & CEO Danielle Coffey stated, "We are grateful to the Senate Appropriations Committee, Chair Caballero, and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks for their continuing support of this legislation to preserve quality journalism in California and the broader United States. News publishers must receive compensation from the Big Tech platforms for the use of their content to be able to continue their critically important work. We need quality news and information now more than ever to stay informed and help counter the tsunami of misinformation online."

Several countries around the world, including Canada, Indonesia, Europe and Australia have all passed laws requiring the tech platforms to compensate news publishers, with legislation also introduced in the UK and the United States (the Journalism Competition & Preservation Act).

Coffey continued, "For too long, Big Tech has used content produced by local publishers for their own benefit - all too often without permission or compensation - while publishers have struggled to survive. We commend the Appropriations Committee for recognizing this injustice and continuing to push for fair competition in the marketplace."

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