Illinois
Illinois bill would force Big Tech to compensate local news outlets
As private equity guts newsrooms, layoffs abound and misinformation runs rampant across social media, an Illinois bill aims to offer a targeted solution to the decades-old journalism business model.
Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) introduced SB 3591, or the Journalism Preservation Act, in February. It would require Big Tech companies to track and compensate news organizations for the content they share, display or link to on social media platforms.
“Local newsrooms should be compensated for their content,” Stadelman told The Daily. “If Big Tech benefits from it on their platforms, there should be some type of reimbursement, a revenue stream for that content.”
Illinois has lost over 86% of its journalists and more than a third of its newspapers since 2005, according to the Local Journalism Task Force.
Medill Senior Associate Dean Tim Franklin, director of the Medill Local News Initiative and member of the task force, said the underlying problem is a fundamental shift in the business model. Ad revenue previously directed toward newsrooms is now being collected by Big Tech companies like Meta and Google, he said.
News publications now rely on Meta and Google for 70% of their traffic, according to task force member and President of News/Media Alliance Danielle Coffey.
Stadelman’s bill would create a structure and arbitration process for local newsrooms and publishers to negotiate with Big Tech companies and create a revenue-sharing agreement for their content.
One discussed adjustment to the bill is paying the funds out directly to journalists, said Coffey, who recently testified in front of the Senate Executive Committee. Stadelman called the specifics of the bill on the distribution model “very fluid” and said he plans to introduce more changes soon.
Since its February introduction, the bill had its first reading on the Senate floor and was assigned to the Executive Committee. A committee vote on the bill will be on April 19.
The bill is being modeled after laws adopted in Australia and Canada, and Stadelman’s team is also monitoring a similar act progress through the California legislature.
“I do think that deliberation is important, so I respect the fact that they’re taking their time,” Coffey said. “At the same time, two newsrooms are closing every week (nationally) and journalists are getting laid off by the thousands.”
Coffey said the government is the only recourse for dealing with Big Tech companies, but the sheer size of these tech giants makes it especially difficult to spur significant change.
Meta and Google have employed several tactics to oppose regulatory measures in other countries, campaigning on their platforms and commissioning misleading polls, according to Dr. Courtney Radsch, director of the Center for Journalism and Liberty at the Open Markets Institute.
Radsch testified before the Canadian Parliament that Google and Meta have blocked access to news on their platforms during the legislative processes in Australia and Canada, claiming technical issues that were later found to be “negotiation tactics,” according to whistleblowers.
In March, Meta Spokesperson Jamie Radice told The Verge that news isn’t the top reason people visit Facebook and Instagram.
If the Journalism Preservation Act were to pass, Radice said Meta would “end the availability of news in Illinois.”
Radice could not be immediately reached for comment.
“Because we’re dealing with very well-resourced adversaries in this space, there’s a lot of … crazy distracting rhetoric and scare tactics,” Coffey said.
While Google initially threatened to do the same in Canada, the company eventually came to an agreement with the government to pay a lump sum of 100 million Canadian dollars annually to keep links to news articles in its search results, amounting to almost CA$21,000 per journalist.
“If you’re a lawmaker, I think you’d rather support your local newspaper than supporting Big Tech,” Stadelman said. “This bill will help their local community, will help their local publishers, so I guess that’s how you try to counteract a strong lobbying effort like this.”
Stadelman, a former reporter turned legislator, introduced and successfully passed a bill to create the Illinois Local Journalism Task Force in 2021. He served as the chair of the task force, which comprised journalism leaders across the nation including Franklin and Coffey.
Franklin said Stadelman and his team drafted two bills based on the policy recommendations in the task force’s final report – the Journalism Preservation Act and the Strengthening Community Media Act.
The latter was assigned to the Executive Committee in February. It contains a broad array of incentives, tax breaks and scholarships intended to repopulate local newsrooms, including a grant program that aims to support the hiring and retention of journalists, particularly in underserved rural areas.
“Anything that has a financial ask directly from the state is always a much harder bill to pass,” said state Sen. Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet), who co-sponsored both bills.
Despite these challenges, proponents of the bill said they are cautiously optimistic about the future of securing policy protections for newsrooms.
“I understand what I’m up against here,” Stadelman said.
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Illinois
Illinois bill would strengthen protections for domestic violence survivors after murder of Jayden Perkins, 11
A measure just passed by Illinois state lawmakers could better protect domestic violence survivors in Illinois.
The Illinois Prisoner Review Board, which is responsible for letting prisoners out on parole, may soon have to undergo mandatory training on domestic violence.
This is in response to the murder of 11-year-old Jayden Perkins, who was stabbed to death while trying to protect his pregnant mother from an attack — allegedly by her ex-boyfriend who was just let out of jail.
After Jayden died, two members resigned by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. His death is the reason why the board now has an executive director, but lawmakers and domestic violence victims knew they needed to fight for so much more.
Jayden died a hero — trying to save his mom, Laterria Smith, from her ex-boyfriend, Crosetti Brand, on March 13, 2024.
Prosecutors and police say Brand, who is now on trial in the case, went to Smith and her son’s home and stabbed her in the neck. When Jayden tried to intervene and protect his mother, Brand allegedly stabbed him in the chest.
Jayden’s death at his and his mom’s Edgewater neighborhood apartment should never have happened in the first place.
“It was really a failure in every part of the system in this case,” said Amanda Pyron, chief executive officer of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence.
Pyron worked with the office of Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to the legislation.
Smith feared for her life and filed an order of protection against Brand. But the CBS News Chicago Investigators found critical information was not communicated to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, so Brand was let out on parole.
The next day, Jayden was murdered.
“It doesn’t appear that they were checking for active orders of protection,” Pyron said. “It doesn’t appear that they were checking for pending orders of protection.”
The bill now on its way to Gov. Pritzker’s desk would:
- Require the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to run a “leads” report on someone up for parole, which contains criminal history, active orders of protection, and any such orders pending.
- Require the board to publish names of people who violate release terms within 60 days.
- Require the board to complete 20 hours of training for topics like domestic violence.
- Require seven board members to have at least five years’ experience in fields like law enforcement.
“It speaks to the need of appropriate procedures that include those voices, that respect those voices, that ensure the safety of survivors who are involved in the system,” said Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago).
Cassidy worked months with lawmakers and other activists to pass the bill.
While there is some relief, Cassidy said there is more work to be done for victims like Jayden and his family, with whom she plans to speak soon.
“I very much am looking forward to be getting a second to be able to share this good news,” Cassidy said.
Brand’s trial is ongoing, and he is representing himself.
Gov. Pritzker’s office said he is planning to sign the bill into law.
Illinois
Bears legend Brian Urlacher shares stance on trans athletes in girls' sports as issue rocks Illinois
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Former Chicago Bears star linebacker Brian Urlacher made his stance known on the issue of transgender athletes in women’s and girls’ sports as the debate creates a divide in the state where he made his reputation – Illinois.
Urlacher shared his opinion on the issue during an interview on the “Global View” podcast on May 9 and questioned why it is even a debate in some circles.
“Why is it even a debate? A woman is a woman and a man is a man… you’re born with what you’re born with,” Urlacher said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Jerome Bettis, #36 of the Pittsburgh Steelers, runs over Brian Urlacher, #54 of the Chicago Bears, for a touchdown on Dec. 11, 2005 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Urlacher even referenced an ongoing controversy in Minnesota, where a transgender pitcher is currently dominating the girls’ softball season. The trans athlete reportedly won 14 straight games heading into the playoffs and earned first-team All-State honors rocked the state in recent weeks.
“It’s just different because we are men, there are certain things we do better than women, and it’s just, number one, it’s not fair, and if I had a daughter who had to be forced to play against a man I would not be okay with it and I would raise hell about it,” Urlacher said.
“I just don’t get it, it’s a common sense thing, I just don’t see how you can push this and make someone thing they’re a different sex.”
EX-VIKINGS PLAYER RIPS MINNESOTA AG AS STATE SUES TRUMP TO KEEP TRANS ATHLETES IN GIRLS’ SPORTS
Former Chicago Bears player Brian Urlacher is honored during halftime of a game between the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sept. 17, 2018. (Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports)
The Pro Football Hall of Famer praised President Donald Trump for signing the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order at the White House on Feb. 5.
Illinois has become a hotbed of controversy over the issue of trans athlete inclusion in recent days after a biological male competed in a seventh-grade track meet against biological females at the Naper Prairie Conference Meet.
The incident resulted in a Naperville 203 Community School District Board meeting descending into a heated debate over the issue on Monday.
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Brian Urlacher is honored with a Ring of Excellence ceremony for his recent induction into the Hall of Fame at Soldier Field on Sep. 17, 2018 in Chicago. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Awake Illinois has filed a civil rights complaint against the district, with the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights alleging a violation of Title IX.
They called on federal funds to be withheld from the district, which it says receives between $8 million and $9 million in federal grants annually. The complaint is part of a broader effort by Awake Illinois, which previously filed similar Title IX complaints against other districts and the Illinois State Board of Education.
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WATCH: Driver survives Kansas tornado from his car
Aden Basgall was stuck in his car during an EF2 tornado that tore through Grinnell, Kansas.
A tornado watch is in effect for much of central Illinois, with some counties under a tornado warning.
A tornado warning was issued for Sangamon and Menard counties. The warnings are set to expire at 3:15 p.m.
The following counties are under the watch: Bureau, Christian, Cumberland, Edgar, Fulton, Knox, Macon, McDonough, Morgan, Piatt, Schuyler, Tazewell, Woodford, Cass, Clark, DeWitt, Effingham, Henry, Livingston, Marshall, McLean, Moultrie, Putnam, Shelby, Vermilion, Champaign, Coles, Douglas, Ford, Iroquois, Logan, Mason, Peoria, Stark, and Warren.
As of 2:20 p.m., the watch is supposed to expire at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Hazardous Weather Outlook
Many of the same counties are also under a Hazardous Weather Outlook.
Those counties are:
Knox, Stark, Peoria, Marshall, Woodford, Fulton, Tazewell, McLean, Schuyler, Mason, Logan, DeWitt, Piatt, Champaign, Vermilion, Cass, Menard, Scott, Morgan, Sangamon, Christian, Macon, Moultrie, Douglas, Coles, Edgar, Shelby, Cumberland, Clark, Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Clay, Richland, and Lawrence.
Central Illinois radar
What does the outlook say for Tuesday?
Scattered thunderstorms will continue to develop on Tuesday afternoon and generally shift east across central Illinois through the early evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Some of these storms could be strong to severe. The storms may be capable of producing damaging wind gusts, hail over one inch, and isolated tornadoes.
Are storms expected on Wednesday?
NWS is not predicting hazardous weather for Wednesday or the rest of the week.
(This story has been updated to include new information.)
Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@gannett.com.
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