That's why it's startling to see bipartisan support for something you might think would be unpopular to politicians: the very local newspapers who hold elected officials accountable.
But it's happening. And, given the gloomy state of the newspaper industry, it's a rare break in the clouds.
"It does seem like we're getting somewhere," said David Chavern, president and CEO of the News Media Alliance, which represents 2,000 news publishers - mostly local newspapers, but also some national papers (including The Washington Post) and digital-only news sites.
The legislation in the House and Senate would provide a temporary "safe harbor" - a four-year antitrust exemption for news publishers as they negotiate with Google and Facebook over how news content is used and how advertising dollars are distributed.