On Thursday, the California Assembly passed the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), a bill requiring online platforms to pay media outlets when hosting a news link to their content, including when a user shares a news link with their friends. During floor debate, Assemblymembers from both parties raised concerns about the legislation, including that it would benefit large outlets, fund misinformation, and that local journalists may not see the actual benefits of the legislation.

“The CJPA is riddled with holes, the biggest of which is that the bill primarily funds national media outlets that spread misinformation,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “The bill also includes a questionable arbitration process and supports hedge funds known for cutting news staff rather than hiring journalists. It’s sad the Assembly is passing the buck to the Senate rather than fixing the bill’s problems.”

Video of the concerns raised by Democratic lawmakers in the California Assembly during CJPA floor debate is available here. 

Last month, Chamber of Progress released a study examining who would benefit the most under the 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.

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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.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.