Friend,

Great news: Thanks to Free Press Action members and others, California lawmakers temporarily shelved the short-sighted California Journalism Preservation Act, a bill that would reward the companies that have destroyed high-quality local news and make it harder for small community-centered newsrooms to flourish.

Until recently the CJPA was on a fast track: It passed the Assembly on June 1 and was moving forward in the state Senate. But the sustained campaign from Free Press Action, other advocacy groups, small publishers and community leaders pushed the bill’s sponsors to delay consideration of the CJPA until 2024.

What does this mean?

For months Free Press Action members have called their lawmakers, signed petitions and shared info online about the CJPA’s many harms. And there’s good reason to raise alarms: The proposed legislation is a giveaway to the bill’s most vocal proponents: large corporate media outlets, including those that have stopped investing in local news and are responsible for mass layoffs in local newsrooms.

Now that lawmakers have pressed pause on the bill, we have more time to make our voices heard and push for carefully designed public policies that support trustworthy journalism and give residents like you the news and information you need.

For now, we want to thank all of our California members for helping to put the brakes on the CJPA. We’ll keep you posted with more opportunities to take action.

In the meantime, consider donating to Free Press Action to help us sustain our work to strengthen local journalism.

Thank you so much!

Florín
freepress.net