Meta is getting out of the news business to avoid paying for journalism under the Australian Government’s News Media Bargaining Code - but no one is surprised.
Meta’s announcement it will stop paying for news poses a threat. High-quality news is expensive, but important. Do we need economic measures that somehow get the public to pay for it?
Australia’s law to force tech giants like Meta and Google to pay media organizations has not always meant better outcomes for journalism. Will the same happen in Canada?
Peter Thompson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
A mandatory news media bargaining code will force the digital giants to compensate NZ news media for content they host and share. But will it close off better options for supporting local journalism?
Across Australia, the top ten regions for socio-economic disadvantage are based in rural and regional areas. Local newspapers are especially important in such communities.
Efforts to rein in the social media giant’s power have followed the same script: dialogue, then attempts at self-regulation, then a bitter dispute over legislation, followed by compromise.
The majority of country press audiences prefer to read their local paper in print than online. In fact, many said they would stop reading their papers if they went digital only.