• by Ray Schultz , Yesterday

An Oregon bill that would force tech platforms to pay local news media for using their content has cleared a key hurdle.  

The Oregon Senate Rules Committee has voted 3-2 to advance SB 686, the Oregon Journalism Protection Act. The bill is headed for a likely floor vote in the state Senate within the next week. 

The vote was by hailed by the News/Media Alliance. 

“Local news serves a vital role in communities all over Oregon, providing critical information, connectivity, and avenues for civic engagement in areas with no other options,” says Danielle Coffey, president and CEO of the News/Media Alliance.

Coffey adds, “The Oregon Journalism Protection Act would be an important boost in their ability to stay afloat, and provide Oregon communities with the information and local coverage that they deserve.”

Sponsored by Senator Khanh Pham (D), SB 686 is modeled in part on Canada’s Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, through which payments are being made to newsrooms, and the recent deal reached between California Governor Gavin Newsom and Google to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to news media.