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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A man in Illinois punched an election judge at a polling location and was arrested on Sunday, two days before the climax of the US presidential race, according to authorities.
The man, identified as 24-year-old Daniel Schmidt, was charged with two counts of aggravated battery to a victim over 60, two counts of aggravated battery in a public place, and five misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and one count of disorderly conduct.
His case follows numerous attacks on the voting process and threats of violence, the purpose of which often is to create fear and distrust around voting, according to extremist experts.
Election officials across the US say voting is safe, and voters should not be deterred from casting their ballots in Tuesday’s presidential race.
In Schmidt’s case, police say they responded to reports of a man causing a disturbance in the voting line at the township office of Orland Park, Illinois.
Officers arrested Schmidt after learning that he had allegedly entered the building and attempted to cut in front of other voters in line for early voting.
An election judge at the entrance instructed Schmidt to go to the back of the line and wait his turn. But authorities say that Schmidt refused.
At that point, another election judge was called to assist, police said – and Schmidt was again instructed to go to the back of the line.
According to the police, Schmidt then attempted to push past that election judge who stopped him from entering alongside several other staff members.
Schmidt then reportedly began yelling profanities and punched the election judge in the face, knocking the official’s glasses off. At that point, several other patrons jumped in and restrained Schmidt until the officers arrived.
Authorities added that, while being arrested, Schmidt also resisted Orland Park officers.
Schmidt was held overnight on Sunday and transported to Bridgeview courthouse for a detention hearing on Monday morning.
Ahead of this year’s election, election offices around the country have strengthened their security measures in anticipation of potential violence at the polls, in part in response to a rise in threats and harassment directed at election workers after the 2020 election that Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Trump is running in Tuesday’s election against Kamala Harris.
Many offices have also trained their workers on de-escalation techniques and conducted drills for active shooters as well as other kinds of attacks.
In the last week alone, the US has already experienced multiple attacks on the voting process, threats of violence and extremism, including bomb threats, ballots being burned and more.
Illinois
Early voting sites in Chicago: Expect long lines wait for final day of early voting, board of elections says
Monday is officially the last day of early voting in Illinois ahead of the Election Day for 2024 — and in many parts of the region, its the busiest.
“Monday is generally our busiest early voting days,” said Chicago Board of Elections’ Max Bever.
Sunday, long lines wrapped around Chicago’s Voting Supersite at 191 North Clark Street. Similar turnout was expected Monday, Bever said.
According to Bever, approximately 40,000 people typically come out to vote early the day before Election Day, with the CBOE expecting to see “similar numbers this year.”
2024 Illinois Voter Guide: What’s on your ballot, how to research judges and more
Chicago officials noted that two-hour wait times could be expected for early voting sites on the northside and near the lake front Monday, as those locations have easier access to public transit.
Shorter lines were expected on the west side, the CBOE said.
As Election Day — that’s Tuesday, Nov. 5 — approaches, here’s what to know about early voting Monday.
Chicago early voting locations
Early voting will be available on the day before the election at the city’s Voting Supersite at 191 North Clark Street, the Chicago Board of Elections’ Offices at 69 West Washington Street and at early voting locations in all 50 wards.
All early voting sites are open to voters regardless of where they live in the city.
More information can be found on the board’s website.
Cook County early voting locations
Voters can cast ballots at all of the county’s circuit courthouses, and at the Cook County Clerk’s Office at 69 West Washington Street on the day prior to the election.
More information can be found on the county clerk’s website.
DeKalb County
The Sycamore campus’ Legislative Center at the Gathertorium will host early voting for one final day on Monday, Nov. 4.
More information can be found here.
DuPage County early voting locations
Early voting continues to be available at locations around the county, and voters can cast ballots at early voting sites on Nov. 4.
You can find more information on the county clerk’s website.
Grundy County early voting locations
Early voting has concluded in Grundy County. You can find your polling place and other information on the county clerk’s website.
Kane County early voting locations
Early voting remains ongoing at sites throughout Kane County, including St. Charles, Aurora, Elgin, Hampshire, Batavia, West Dundee and more, according to officials.
A full list of hours, can be found on the county clerk’s website.
Kankakee County early voting locations
The Kankakee County Clerk’s Office at 189 East Court Street will offer early voting from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the day before the election.
More information can be found on the county clerk’s website.
Kendall County early voting locations
Officials in Kendall County say early voting will be available at the Kendall County Office Building in Yorkville on Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
More information can be found here.
Lake County early voting locations
Early voting will be available Monday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations:
Avon Township (Round Lake Park)
Jane Addams Center/Bowen Park (Waukegan)
Ela Area Library (Lake Zurich)
Lake County Courthouse Lobby (Waukegan)
Highwood Library
Mundelein High School West District Office
North Chicago City Hall
You can find more information on hours on the county clerk’s website.
LaSalle County early voting locations
Early voting is available at the LaSalle County Emergency Management Building in Ottawa on Monday, with hours from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
You can get more information on the county clerk’s website.
McHenry County early voting locations
Early voting will be available Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations:
McHenry County Election Center (Woodstock)
Algonquin Township Office (Crystal Lake)
Crystal Lake Public Library
McHenry Township Office (Johnsburg)
Lake in the Hills Village Hall
McHenry City Hall
Nunda Township Office (Crystal Lake)
More information can be found on the county clerk’s website.
Will County early voting locations
More than two dozen early voting sites will be open through Monday across the county.
A full list of locations can be found on the county clerk’s website.
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