Letters to the Editor: Newsom caved to Google on saving journalism. What would Thomas Jefferson say?

To the editor: Columnist George Skelton is too kind to Gov. Gavin Newsom for gutting the California Journalism Preservation Act. (“Newsom and lawmakers bow to Google, sticking it to the news industry,” column, Aug. 26)

In the governor’s latest turnaround, he has scuttled legislation to require internet giants such as Google to pay back to news organizations some of the billions they’ve scooped up stealing from that ancient and proud profession.

Shockingly, the tech industry continues to benefit from newspaper stories it steals without compunction. This thievery takes places as newspapers continue to hurt across the country and our democracy suffers.

Does Newsom know what Thomas Jefferson thought about newspapers? In 1787, he wrote: “The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

No doubt that if he were alive today, newspaper publisher Benjamin Franklin would be occupied writing to Newsom and many letters to the editor.

June Maguire, Mission Viejo