The vast majority of the newspapers across the United States are owned by a handful of huge media corporations, and the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) stands to further entrench their power. The below map is a start at capturing the sheer scope and reach that just 3 single companies have on local journalism in America. Gannett, Alden Global…

Top Six Quantifiable Concerns with the JCPA The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA), S. 673, is supported by some of America’s biggest media conglomerates responsible for the decline of local journalism. Their lobbyists are working overtime to pass the JCPA so massive media ownership companies like Gannett, Alden Global Capital and Sinclair Broadcast Group can boost their revenues, double…

In the spring of 2020, most Americans were focused on how to stop the spread of coronavirus, how to stay in business and how to take care of their families. While most of the country was preoccupied with surviving lockdown, one hedge fund was obsessed with a campaign to make more money off journalism. Heath Freeman is the managing director…

Myth: The JCPA will benefit small and medium news publishers. “It’s also focused on small and medium news organization. It excludes news organizations owned by foreign governments and publications. With more than 1500 full time employees, which would include the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. They are excluded as well as the major national…

For our latest Copyright Corner Q&A series installment, Re:Create spoke with Nathan Proctor, U.S. PIRG’s Right to Repair Campaign Director. Proctor explains the intersection between the right to repair and copyright law, and how manufacturers have weaponized and abused copyright protections to limit consumers’ abilities to fix products. Proctor also discusses the growing momentum in support of consumers fixing or…

The Tillis-Leahy SMART Copyright Act of 2022 Myths v Facts Myth: The legislation is necessary. Fact: The U.S. Copyright Office specifically concluded that legislation is not needed and that “the development of STMs depends upon voluntary collaboration and consultation within and across industries” after five years of studying Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The DMCA already…

Despite its name, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, S. 673, does not stimulate competition among the biggest media corporations and fails to preserve local news jobs. In reality, the bill will exacerbate existing challenges from media consolidation, deter journalist hiring and overhaul copyright law to disrupt access to information online. The legislation’s stated purpose is to give local news…