The National Association of Hispanic Journalists sees no evidence that the journalism-support bill announced last week in the California Legislature will improve coverage of Latinos and other underserved communities – which should be the litmus test for any journalism-support measure.
“We’re also concerned it fails to provide a structural solution to the core issue faced by newsrooms: compensation for content used by technology companies to generate search advertising revenue and train AI models,” said Julio-César Chávez, vice president of broadcast on NAHJ’s national board.
Latinos have become the largest ethnic group in California, at 40% of the population, yet they, along with Asian American, Pacific Islander, Black and Indigenous communities remain underserved by news media and underrepresented among newsroom staff.Â
NAHJ was founded 40 years ago in California, and our membership includes nearly 800 California-based journalists. Many have experienced layoffs, buyouts and budget cutbacks, forcing some to leave the field as local advertising has migrated from news outlets to technology giants such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft.
The legislative deal announced last week would require Google and state taxpayers to contribute to a journalism support fund, yet it reserves just 12% of the funds for “locally focused publications and publications targeting underrepresented groups,” according to a copy of the agreement viewed by NAHJ.
The agreement also says “the definition of a journalist does not include broadcasters,” which is very problematic in a state where TV networks such as Univision, Telemundo and Estrella TV, as well as Spanish-language radio stations in major cities, play a central role in informing and engaging Latinos.
Reached behind closed doors, the legislative deal announced Wednesday replaces two publicly debated bills intended to reverse the decline of local news revenue by forcing tech platforms to compensate journalism providers for accessing and sharing their content. By imposing a “link tax,” the initial bills had the potential to create an ecosystem where news and ad tech could exist symbiotically.
Instead, the deal calls for five years of journalism funding from Google, which would also support a national “AI innovation accelerator.” While mastering uses of artificial intelligence is important to journalism’s future, as CalMatters and others have demonstrated, the bill would accelerate the use of AI without guardrails to ensure that news organizations are compensated for content used to train AI.
As journalists, we understand that politics is the art of the possible. We appreciate that California lawmakers have recognized that local journalism is a public good, essential to inform and engage citizens in a democracy. And we’ve heard legislators insisting that this is just the first step in a public-private partnership to sustain local journalism in California.
But since the legislative deal was reached behind closed doors, without the transparency that strengthens democracy, the interests of some key stakeholders may have been ignored. It’s no surprise that many organizations representing journalists across the state, and who care deeply about the health of journalism and the right of the public to be informed, share our concerns about this development.
Now it’s time for the details of any proposal to be shared publicly and debated openly – with the litmus test in mind.
–
About the National Association of Hispanic Journalists
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is an educational and charitable association dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanic students, professionals, and educators in the field of journalism. NAHJ focuses heavily on advocacy, addressing injustices and political issues that affect Latino journalists throughout the country, while also supporting a growing network of members and chapters. Learn more at NAHJ.org or follow us on X @nahj.