News Media Alliance Sends 'White Paper' To Trump FCC Transition Team

White Paper

The NEWS MEDIA ALLIANCE - the former NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA -- has asked the TRUMP FCC transition team to consider several media and news industry issues as it formulates its plan for the new administration, including loosening ownership restrictions.

In a "white paper" submitted to the transition team, the ALLIANCE notes that the industry "is undergoing a fundamental transformation of the way in which Americans communicate and do business," and that the news media industry "continues to be the lynchpin of credible information" for the world.  But the group warns that "Outdated regulations should not be allowed to determine marketplace behavior and hinder economic growth" and calls for the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership ban to be eliminated and for the Department of Justice to "reject its narrow antitrust definitions for media markets" (based, it says, on a "1970s-era advertising model" that does not take into account the changes wrought by technology).  It also calls for changes in the tax treatment of media companies (extension, for example, of the Section 199 tax deduction for printing to digital operations).  And the paper asks for strong copyright protections to allow news organizations to get paid for reuse of their material, including further restrictions on "fair use" and an overhaul of the Copyright Office.

Finally, in light of the incoming administration's apparent hostility towards the media and news coverage, the paper asks for the preservation of the traditional Presidential press pool and recognition that the press' independence is essential and that the administration should strive to be transparent and not use witholding of credentials as a weapon against outlets critical of the President.

« see more Net News