Arizona Media Association Triumphs in Advocacy for 39 New Bills

The Arizona Legislature has adjourned, marking the conclusion of the 2024 local media advocacy season.

In our inaugural year as the Arizona Media Association, our expanded strategy successfully amplified our influence at the state Capitol.

Thanks to lobbyist John Moody, we protected local media interests in 39 bills, ensuring no territory loss amid complex legislation.

Defending public records and open meetings laws was particularly challenging. For newspapers, we halted or amended two Public Notices bills through John’s efforts.

By leveraging bipartisan relationships, we amended HB2394 and SB1359 to protect against liability from AI-generated political deep fakes, both now signed into law.

We also successfully blocked HB2038 in partnership with law enforcement, preserving the integrity of two-party recording disclosure laws.

John Moody shared a note of appreciation:

“The AMA achieved tremendous success this Legislative Session amidst challenges ranging from defending Arizona’s public notice and open meetings laws to tackling groundbreaking legislation on political deep fakes. This success was a team effort, and I extend my gratitude to everyone who contributed to preserving transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to information.”

Looking ahead, the Arizona Media Association is planning new initiatives. Early next year, we’ll host the Arizona State Legislative Media Day to deepen relationships with state leaders. Additionally, in 2025, we aim to adopt a proactive legislative advocacy strategy, with input from our board of directors to further protect local media interests.