Newspaper Assn. of America spends US$290,000 in Q2 lobbying federal government on issues like future of media, privacy and legislation aimed at making government information public

Sandy Yang

NEW YORK , August 17, 2010 (Associated Press) – The Newspaper Association of America spent $290,000 in the second quarter lobbying the federal government on issues including the future of media, privacy and legislation aimed at making government information public.

That's up from $250,000 in the first quarter and $278,000 in the same quarter a year ago, according to a Congressional disclosure form.

The group, which represents nearly 2,000 newspapers in the U.S., lobbied the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on a proposed measure called the Free Flow of Information Act. The bill would shield reporters in some cases from having to obey court orders to reveal confidential sources, a protection that media organizations argue would encourage more whistle blowers to come forward.

The group also lobbied on the Federal Communications Commission's Future of Media Project, a rethinking of federal policy on media ownership.

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