Tom Cotton: ‘Every Conservative Should Oppose’ Zombie Media Cartel Bill

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said in a statement on Tuesday that every conservative should oppose the Journalism Competition and Protection (JCPA), which he believes would allow the establishment media to collude with big tech to “create a media cartel.”

“The Journalism Competition and Protection Act allows the press to collude with big tech to create a media cartel. It’s a bad idea, it would result in more censorship, and every conservative should oppose it,” Cotton said in his statement.

Other industries don't have the special privilege of being exempt from antitrust law: why should conservatives give the media and big tech a handout?

— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) September 6, 2022

Cotton spoke after a new version of the JCPA is “circulating” and is “worse than the original version,” according to Breitbart News’s Allum Bokhari. The legislation, if enacted, would allow the establishment media and left-wing media to exclude media cartels, giving them collective bargaining power to college with big tech companies.

He explained:

That provision is significant especially for its specificity. These mainstream and left-wing media cartels may not exclude based on size or “views expressed by its content.” But that is not how the exclusion happens or will happen.

These self-appointed mainstream and left-wing media cartels ARE allowed to exclude based on the usual, totally subjective, factors they always do, such as: “trustworthiness,” “fake news, “extremism,” “misinformation,” “hate speech,” “conspiracy,” “correction policy,” “expertise,” “authoritativeness,” etc.

Cotton questioned why the news industry should be exempt from antitrust law.

He asked rhetorically, “Why should conservatives give the media and big tech a handout?”
The Arkansas conservative also noted for any conservative that is considering supporting the JCPA that House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jerry Nadler (D-NY), specially cited combatting “widespread misinformation” as a rationale for the bill.

“In other words, they know this cartel will censor conservatives,” Cotton charged.

“Of all the problems we have today with inflation, high gas prices, and a wage decline, why should Republicans focus on a bailout for the media and big tech? This bill will help massive corporations–it is NOT limited to small, local broadcasters,” Cotton continued.

Of all the problems we have today with inflation, high gas prices, and a wage decline, why should Republicans focus on a bailout for the media and big tech?

This bill will help massive corporations–it is NOT limited to small, local broadcasters.

— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) September 6, 2022