Bill > SB1732

This bill establishes the Journalism Preservation Act, which aims to support local and ethnic news organizations by requiring large online platforms (defined as having at least 50 million monthly US users or significant market capitalization) to compensate digital journalism providers for using their content. The bill requires these platforms to track and pay a "journalism usage fee" based on their advertising revenue, with the specific percentage determined through a final-offer arbitration process administered by the American Arbitration Association. Eligible digital journalism providers must be legitimate news organizations that create original content, employ professional journalists, and meet specific criteria such as updating content regularly and having an editorial process. The legislation mandates that at least 70% of the received funds (50% for very small organizations) must be spent on journalists and support staff, and providers must submit annual reports detailing how they used the funds. The bill's underlying motivation is to address the significant decline in newspaper advertising and newsroom staffing over the past decade, with a particular emphasis on supporting ethnic media and local journalism as critical components of a functioning democracy. The law includes protections against platform retaliation and preserves existing legal rights for journalism providers and platforms.

Government Affairs

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1732&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=114&GA=104