If passed, SB 1327 would dramatically improve the capacity of local newsrooms to deliver news that preserves democracy and informs communities.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The NewsGuild-CWA, America’s largest union of journalists, welcomes and supports a major new journalism bill in California that could generate $500 million a year for local journalism jobs. Senate Bill 1327, sponsored by California Sen. Steve Glazer, would implement a Data Extraction Mitigation Fee on massive tech platforms that have displaced tens of thousands of local journalism jobs across the U.S. The platform fee would generate revenues for a refundable employee hiring and retention tax credit that’s designed to preserve and create journalism jobs in local newsrooms across California.
“Journalists are the watchdogs of democracy’s flame by shining a light on injustices, keeping our communities informed and holding the powerful to account,” said Jon Schleuss, President of The NewsGuild-CWA. “America’s journalists applaud California lawmakers for finding innovative solutions to support journalists and recognizing the importance of our industry.”
“I congratulate Senator Glazer for introducing an appropriately ambitious proposal to support local journalism in California,” said Matt Pearce, President of Media Guild of the West TNG-CWA Local 39213, which represents journalists and media workers at the Los Angeles Times, Southern California News Group, Desert Sun and Long Beach Post. “California’s journalists are struggling. Big Tech monopolies destroyed the local newsrooms that used to support tens of thousands of journalism jobs in communities across America. California lawmakers can rise to the challenge by supporting both this bill and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks’ California Journalism Preservation Act, and lawmakers in other states should follow their example.”
“Good journalism is more important than ever, but the ranks of professional journalists have continued to decline in California and beyond,” said Annie Sciacca, President of Pacific Media Workers Guild TNG-CWA Local 39521. “We are glad to see lawmakers introducing new solutions to help sustain this important work.”
The NewsGuild-CWA, Media Guild of the West and Pacific Media Workers Guild also support the California Journalism Preservation Act, introduced by Assembly Member Buffy Wicks, marking the first time trade unions representing American journalists support a bill that seeks to level the economic playing field between massive tech platforms and news publishers.
##
The NewsGuild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933, representing over 27,000 members in newsrooms, online publications, and non-profit organizations across the country, including about a thousand journalists and media workers in California newsrooms.
Media Guild of the West, The NewsGuild-CWA Local 39213, represents journalists and media workers at the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, L.A. Daily News, Press-Enterprise and Desert Sun and many other newsrooms.
Pacific Media Workers Guild, The NewsGuild-CWA Local 39213, represents journalists and media workers at the San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, East Bay Times, Mercury News, Fresno Bee and many other newsrooms.