Yesterday marked the final day of the co-hosted America’s Newspapers’ annual Senior Leadership Conference and News/Media Alliance’s annual Fly-In lobbying event and Support Journalism gala. It was also the final day for Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign or veto the California Community NEWS Act, AB 2222. And that was top-of-mind for many who’d convened in the Washington Marriott Georgetown’s ballroom.
During a session titled “What’s Cooking in Statehouses,” Los Angeles Times General Counsel Jeff Glasser said he was eagerly anticipating a text about the governor’s decision to sign or veto the bill. It was a shared sentiment. Certainly, the attendees who’d traveled to Washington, D.C. from California had a vested interest in the outcome. But there was also the sentiment that the passage of this bill would have broader repercussions beyond California’s borders and signal a momentum shift for local newsrooms.
By mid-afternoon, word came that the California Community NEWS Act had been signed into law. During the signing ceremony, Gov. Newsom explained his deliberation of the legislation, noting he’d dismissed the idea of a veto given the current formidable economic and existential threats to the press. “This bill is a big deal, and I’m honored to sign it,” the governor said, adding that he hopes it will be replicated and adopted in other states.
Yet, the governor also expressed a singular concern about the legislation: “I do think there needs to be work on this bill next year,” Newsom said, “and I’m hopeful the legislature and the governor will work to address those issues. This should not be subsidizing hedge funds.”
Following the signing, Gov. Newsom published the following on the state’s website: “While President Trump continues to attack the free press, California is supporting independent journalism. By signing this bill, we are signaling the profound role journalists play to cover essential issues like local schools, city halls, courts, public safety agencies, businesses and neighborhoods. A free press isn’t supposed to make government comfortable. It’s supposed to make government accountable.”
Celebrating the legislative victory, Matt Pearce, director of policy for Rebuild Local News, remarked on LinkedIn: “Signed, sealed, delivered: More than $200 million for California local journalist jobs over the next five years, brought to you by the Community NEWS Act (AB 2222), sponsored by Rebuild Local News and endorsed by a coalition of more than 150 organizations.”
In a press release, Steven Waldman — Rebuild Local News’ president — said, “This is a historic step — a recognition that the collapse of community news is severely harming communities, and something significant must be done about it. We thank Gov. Newsom — who has done so much to confront the local news crisis — as well as Assemblymembers Ward and Wicks, Sen. McNerny and the hundreds of news organizations that made their voices heard. This is a bold move but also funded in a fiscally responsible way, by closing a tax loophole on executive compensation above $1 million. We’ll work with legislators and the next administration to ensure that this program effectively serves communities, and pursue improvements over time to achieve that central goal. We also thank the residents of California. We are grateful. The local news community will strive to use this support to serve their communities better and better.”
Paul Deegan, president and CEO of News Media Canada, remarked on LinkedIn, “Canadian news publishers salute California Governor Gavin Newsom on signing the landmark legislation to strengthen local journalism. This is a model for other states/provinces to follow.”
“I’m proud that my old home state of California will actively support journalism jobs,” said Jon Schleuss, president of the NewsGuild-CWA, in a statement. “Journalism is facing an extinction-level event, and the only way to reverse course is to create tax credits to support journalism jobs. This law is a model for every other state and the federal government.”
Amalie Nash, vice president, journalism at Knight Foundation remarked on LinkedIn, “For decades, Knight Foundation has invested in a range of solutions to strengthen local journalism — a lifeline for communities that is increasingly under threat. We have supported newer, stronger business models, backed technology and innovation and funded research to better understand how newsrooms can more effectively reach their audiences. But philanthropy alone cannot solve the local news crisis. That is why today’s news … is an important step. This new legislation creates the largest local news subsidy of its kind in the country, and it will direct more than $40 million a year to news outlets throughout the state. For a state that has lost more than 40% of its newspapers since 2005, this development is deeply consequential. Importantly, the bill will reach newsrooms regardless of their mediums or business models. Congratulations to our partners at Rebuild Local News, who have been working to strengthen local news by providing credible information to inform state policy across the country.”
The California Community NEWS Act had broad support across the news media community, including in-state, where news outlets ran ads and op-eds encouraging the law’s adoption. Leaders at news associations around the country cheered the governor’s endorsement — organizations like America’s Newspapers, the Institute for Nonprofit News, LION Publishers, the California Broadcasters Association, The Media and Democracy Project, the National Newspaper Association, Society of Professional Journalists, PEN America, National Association of Hispanic Publications, and many others.
In the wake of today’s signing, News/Media Alliance President and CEO Danielle Coffey published a statement, which in part read, “This law creates a common-sense model to support the sustainability of journalism in California, and its greatest strength is that it is ‘news neutral,’ covering the full, diverse scope of news media within the state. This breadth is why it was supported by an unprecedented coalition of over 180 state and national news organizations and demonstrates a successful proof-of-concept that legislators in other states should follow as they consider how best to support local journalism.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom also signed into law SB 690, which amends the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA). In a separately issued statement, Coffey said: “The News/Media Alliance thanks Governor Newsom for signing into law SB-690, a bill that would amend the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) to provide relief for news publishers targeted by unreasonable lawsuits based on the current text of the law. A wave of overzealous suits based on CIPA has posed an unsustainable threat to media organizations both in giving publishers increased legal protection they need to operate, without fear of unreasonable lawsuits for ordinary digital operations.”
Gretchen A. Peck is E&P’s editor-in-chief. She welcomes your emails at editor@editorandpublisher.com.
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