Previously published online by Colorado Technology Law Journal.

Abstract

Roughly half of Americans get some of their news from social media, and nearly two-thirds get some of their news from search engines. As our modern information gatekeepers, these internet companies bear a special responsibility to consider the impact of their platform and site policies on users’ access to high-quality news sources. They should adopt policies that clear the digital pathway between the public and press by facilitating such access. To that end, the companies must first, address the threshold issue of how best to identify high-quality news sources. This article examines factors that would be useful, drawing from legal and scholarly sources (e.g., statutes and law review articles) that evaluate the characteristics of journalism and the people who produce it. We relate those sources to the current policies of major internet platforms and the public interest in timely and trustworthy news.

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