Conservatives must oppose the Journalism Competition Preservation Act

The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) gives bureaucrats influence over information availability, diminishes future competition in media and will further undermine the independence, public trust, and integrity of the media. 

Some Members of Congress are trying to sneak this crony, failed package into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) so it doesn’t have to face standard congressional procedures and scrutiny.  

Conservatives must not fall for this pro-collusion Power Grab.

If passed, JCPA would…

1. Make it more difficult and costly to get and share information from small, local news sources.
2. Give government bureaucrats influence over information availability.
3. Provide an antitrust exemption for politically well-connected news media companies.
4. Further undermine the independence, public trust, and integrity of the media.
5. Diminish competition by creating a protection from existing antitrust laws for certain news companies and allows them to collude with one another. 

Check out:

• Brietbart: EXCLUSIVE – Kevin McCarthy on JCPA Media Cartel Bill: ‘It’s Dead in the House’ — 6/10/23
• Breitbart: Sen. Tom Cotton: JCPA Media Cartel Bill Will ‘Sideline Conservative News’ — 6/7/23 
• Breitbart: Unlimited Respawn: Senate Democrats Revive Media Cartel Bill AGAIN — 6/6/23 
• NetChoice’s Zach Lilly in Inside Sources: ‘Succession’ Shenanigans — Congress’ Real-Life Tribute to Logan Roy — 4/25/23
• NetChoice press statement: Senate Must Again Reject Klobuchar’s Pro-Collusion Journalism Competition and Preservation Act — 4/4/23
• NetChoice: Conservatives must oppose the JCPA — 12/5/22
• NetChoice one-pager on JCPA — 12/2/22 
• Cato’s Jennifer Huddleston at Reason: Klobuchar’s Media Bill Won’t Save the Press — 8/29/22
• Brietbart: EXCLUSIVE: Jim Jordan Slams Senate Democrat Attempts to Revive Media Cartel Act — 1/29/22

Opposition to the JCPA

JCPA is opposed by many organizations and leaders across the political spectrum, including NetChoice, Public Knowledge, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Americans for Tax Reform, Fight for the Future, CDT, CCIA, the Los Angeles Times, Breitbart, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Jim Jordan, and Sens. Marsha Blackburn, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, and Marco Rubio. Sen. Rand Paul, who was originally a co-sponsor, pulled his support of the bill on 7-Sep.

“The JCPA threatens an independent media by providing specific news outlets with government privileges that will likely increase the government’s ability to pressure such outlets on editorial decisions.”

Steve DelBianco, NetChoice President & CEO

“The JCPA’s only national security connection is that it undermines our nation’s security. It should not be included in the NDAA.”

Klon Kitchen, American Enterprise Institute

“Today, five of the top 20 global technology firms are based in China. If we hobble our private sector innovators by passing anti-innovation legislation, China’s position will grow and grow fast. America will, in turn, suffer.”

Scott Brown, the Competitiveness Coalition

“In reality, the bill would marry Big Tech and Big Government by giving Biden bureaucrats sweeping new regulatory authority over the economy. If Big Tech companies have to run to the ultra-woke FTC for permission to conduct business, you can rest assured that the online environment will get worse for conservatives, not better.”

Tom Hebert, Americans for Tax Reform

“Should this bill [the JCPA] pass, it would pave the way for the government to determine who is and is not a legitimate source of news. It would also represent the government using antitrust as a tool to pick winners and losers in the market.”

Dan Savickas, Taxpayers Protection Alliance

“It is on account of this litany of flaws that the JCPA has attracted a diverse coalition of detractors, including many groups which are generally not avid defenders of Big Tech. The crisis facing local journalist outlets is real, and their preservation may be a worthy goal, but the JCPA is poised to not only fail at achieving that goal but to cause a multitude of new harms in the process.”

Josh Withrow, the R Street Institute

“The JCPA simply blesses the creation of cartels and collusion on prices that is illegal elsewhere in the economy, runs roughshod over the existing business models of the platforms, and transfers resources from the economically viable and successful to those who cannot meet the market standards.”

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, American Action Forum

“The JCPA is a life raft that threatens to overturn the lifeboat independent media provides for Americans.”

Hannah Cox, Based Politics

“Protectionist policies that pick winners and losers and give more power to government bureaucrats are bad for America.”

Pegasus Institute, KY

“Senator Lee is right that there are all kinds of problems that can emerge if JCPA is passed, allowing for media cartels to be formed. Local Journalism is important. However, pretending that this legislation will save it is missing the mark by a long shot.”

James Czerniawski, Americans for Prosperity

“JCPA presents constitutional issues and potential harms to user safety online by compelling some digital services to host dangerous & misleading content. CCIA strongly urges Congress to oppose the JCPA.”

Matt Schruers, CCIA

“JCPA is a terrible bill and conservatives should do whatever is necessary to stop it dead in its tracks.”

Tom Giovanetti, Institute for Policy Innovation

“Congress should reject JCPA in the lame duck session.”

Pelican Center, LA

“The JCPA creates a ‘must carry and must pay’ scheme, forcing U.S. tech companies both to carry and pay for the content of news organizations through mandatory arbitration agreements. The news organizations are not limited to U.S. ones, meaning the JCPA would require U.S. companies to carry and subsidize a range of publications that spread propaganda from foreign sources. This would open up the U.S. to increased foreign influence over American political and social movements, and increased exposure to CCP-supported narratives.”

Breitbart News

“Exempting newspapers from antitrust laws will incentivize them to collude in order to control legitimate news and diminish competition.”

Jennifer Huddleston, NetChoice Policy Counsel 

“In an effort to prop-up traditional media, Congress forgets that Americans have more sources of news and views than ever before–because of the internet.”

Jennifer Huddleston

“We need to protect an independent media, not undermine it by rushing through crony legislation with minimal scrutiny. The media’s bright future will be created through innovation, not crony capitalism like the JCPA.”

Steve DelBianco

Don’t let politicians further protect and entrench their favored media outlets on your dime. Tell your representatives in Congress to say NO to the JCPA.