In an unprecedented move, the California legislature has passed a bill creating a news media subsidy program overseen by Gov. Gavin Newsom, which media experts say will discourage news organizations from holding the government accountable and reduce press independence (1/4) 
@Rebuild_News, a coalition of 3,000+ newsrooms, warned against giving the governor’s office power to “pick winners and losers.” Yet the bill, rushed through in a week, seems to do exactly that under the "Civic Media Program" (2/4)
@AsmTangipa, a critic of the bill, told me, “Just like the Washington Post doesn’t run negative stories about Jeff Bezos — because he owns and funds it — Governor Newsom and the Legislature are creating the same conflict of interest with this new fund" (3/4)
The program's initial funding includes $10 million from the state this year and $10 million from Alphabet (Google), with future taxpayer funding contingent on matching private donations. The bill now goes to the governor's desk for approval (4/4) thecentersquare.com/california/art…
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