Watch Live: House Holds Hearing on Future of News Business

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Friday morning on the future of news businesses.

The House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee will hold a hearing, “Reviving Competition, Part 2: Saving the Free and Diverse Press,” which starts at 10:00 A.M. Eastern.

The hearing would also discuss legislation proposed by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), the Journalist Competition and Protection Act, would act as a “massive handout” to establishment media outlets, according to Breitbart News’ Allum Bokhari.

Bokhari explained:

It would give Big Media companies a special exemption from antitrust law, allowing them to form a cartel that would, under normal circumstances, be illegal to create. But why should these establishment news companies be given a special exemption from antitrust law to negotiate on their own behalf something that applies only to their select few and not to all news companies and journalists? Of course, they should not.

Furthermore, there is nothing in the bill that would prevent the bigger media companies from excluding smaller companies from the cartel. If passed, there would be nothing to stop the formation of a cartel that includes CNN, NBC, MSNBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other big companies, while excluding smaller competitors in the independent media — not to mention local newspapers. Such a cartel would secure favorable rates for the former while leaving the latter in the dust.

Witnesses for the hearing include:

• David Chavern, president and CEO of News Media Alliance
• Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media
• Jonathan Schleuss, president of NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America
• Glenn Greenwald, journalist
• Clay Travis, founder of Outkick Media