Episode description

Dan and Ellen talk with David Cicilline, who represents the First District of Rhode Island in Congress. Cicilline, who is a Democrat, is part of a bipartisan group of US representatives and senators sponsoring the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act. Co-sponsors include Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota; Republican Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana; Republican congressman Ken Buck from Colorado; and Senate and House Judiciary Committee Chairs Dick Durbin , an Illinois Democrat, and Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat. 

The JCPA removes legal obstacles to news organizations’ ability to negotiate collectively and secure fair terms from gatekeeper platforms that use news content without paying for it. The legislation also allows news publishers to demand arbitration if they reach an impasse in those negotiations. 

Ellen has a Quick Take on new research being done by the Institute for Nonprofit News. The INN just released 2022 fact sheets on three types of nonprofit newsrooms: local news, state and regional news, and national and global news. While each group shares some similarities, INN found that geography matters in terms of revenue models and audience development. 

Dan takes a few more whacks at Gannett, because the stock is skidding, and newsrooms are being hit with unpaid furloughs, buyouts, and the threat of layoffs.