[ti:US Lawmakers Propose Bill to Help News Media] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]U.S. lawmakers from both major political parties [00:05.04]are supporting legislation that makes it easier [00:09.44]for media companies to negotiate deals with internet companies. [00:15.80]The bill is aimed at making it easier for news organizations [00:21.76]to negotiate collectively with companies like Google and Facebook. [00:29.52]Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative David Cicilline [00:34.64]of the Democratic Party are introducing the legislation. [00:39.60]Senator John Kennedy and Representative Ken Buck, [00:44.44]both Republicans, are co-sponsors. [00:49.20]The bill comes after Facebook had a legal fight [00:53.20]with Australia over how much money [00:56.68]publishers should make from their social media pages. [01:01.48]During the dispute, Facebook blocked Australian news pages [01:08.12]and only permitted their return after the government compromised. [01:14.88]Facebook also promised a $1 billion investment in the news industry. [01:22.80]The measure would permit print, broadcast or digital news organizations [01:29.80]to work together to gain better deals from Facebook and Google [01:36.00]during a period of time. [01:39.68]During that time, they would not be subject to antitrust laws [01:46.00]meant to prevent big companies [01:48.96]from unfairly influencing or controlling markets. [01:54.64]The bill would require the negotiations to aid news publishers generally [02:01.32]rather than a small number of companies. [02:06.40]Klobuchar said she was hopeful [02:09.84]about the possibility of the measure becoming law. [02:14.92]She said there is growing concern among lawmakers [02:20.16]from both parties about monopolies, [02:24.12]companies that control too much of a market or industry. [02:31.72]Speaking about internet companies [02:34.68]commonly called "technology" companies, [02:38.32]Klobuchar said: "Tech has no mercy." [02:43.92]She said the bill would permit negotiations [02:47.92]on "everything from advertising revenue [02:51.88]to access to information on subscribers." [02:58.16]"This bill will give hardworking local reporters and publishers [03:04.08]the helping hand they need right now, [03:07.44]so they can continue to do their important work," [03:12.36]Cicilline said in a statement. [03:16.64]Klobuchar noted that most people now get their news online [03:22.24]through Facebook and Google. [03:25.52]Social media companies use news to get the attention of users [03:32.00]and have been accused by news publishers [03:35.64]of not sharing advertising revenue with them. [03:41.28]The legislation could mean that struggling news organization [03:47.24]would receive more money for their products. [03:52.72]Employment at U.S. newspapers [03:55.84]has dropped by about 50 percent since 2008. [04:01.84]One reason is that money from advertising has [04:06.48]gone to big internet social media businesses. [04:10.64]Those numbers come from Pew Research which also says [04:16.56]changing media behaviors are to blame. [04:21.64]Small publishers using Google's advertising sales technology [04:27.76]have said for years that their bigger competitors [04:32.44]are getting more money from the search engine. [04:36.96]Cicilline is a chairman of the Judiciary antitrust panel [04:42.40]in the House of Representatives. [04:45.28]It will hold a hearing on the matter on Friday. [04:51.44]I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM