David Chavern

[Commentary] Google and Facebook are facing new competition to their online business models after President Trump signed a bill putting Internet service providers on a path to being able to monetize online users the same way these technology giants do. Next up is the threatened unwinding of the Obama administration’s “net neutrality” rules, which could put these companies in a double bind, because they could soon have to pay Internet service providers a metered rate to move their content to customers’ screens. Google and Facebook will argue — as they did during our fight on net neutrality in 2015 — that ISPs should not be able to prioritize and price the flow of online content. The problem is that they make the exact opposite argument in their role as distributors of news content crucial to our democracy. The two digital giants increase or reduce users’ exposure to news content based on whether publishers — such as the Wall Street Journal or the Indianapolis Star — agree to play by their rules. Those rules are crafted to maximize the flow of advertising revenue, not quality content.

[Chavern is president and chief executive of the News Media Alliance, a trade association representing about 2,000 newspapers in the United States and Canada]

[Commentary] We are in uncharted times. Republicans and Democrats alike are adding their voices in protest to recent attacks by President Trump and others on the media. “I’ve had some rather contentious times with the press,” Secretary of Defense General Mattis said in response to a question about whether he saw the media as an enemy. “But no, the press is a constituency — as far as I’m concerned — that we deal with and I don’t have any issues with the press, myself.” “The backbone of democracy is a free press and an independent judiciary,” Sen Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said. “And they are worth fighting and dying for.” “Look, we’re big boys. We criticize presidents. They want to criticize us back, that’s fine,” Chris Wallace said. “But when he said that the fake news media is not my enemy, it’s the enemy of the American people, I believe that crosses an important line.”

Add your voice. The media is not the enemy and we are just doing our jobs.