On Friday, California lawmakers announced they were pulling the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA) from consideration for the remainder of the legislative year, canceling a previously scheduled Senate hearing next Tuesday. During CJPA’s consideration, Chamber of Progress testified against the legislation, raising concerns that the bill would fund right-wing national media, incentivize clickbait, and unfairly advantage large outlets over small papers and Black-and Latino-owned outlets.

“Funding local news is an important goal, but CJPA would create more problems than it solves,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “Ultimately, Californians don’t want to pass legislation that benefits Fox News. We appreciate Senator Umberg convening an informational hearing this fall and look forward to finding smart ways of supporting local news.”

In May, Chamber of Progress released a study examining who would benefit the most under CJPA, finding that disinformation giants like Fox News and the New York Post would reap the highest profits while local news outlets in California would collect very little.

Chamber of Progress also collected over 2,000 petitions from California voters urging legislators to carve Fox News and other national disinformation giants out of the CJPA.

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

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