netzpolitik.org. There is currently very little literature on the relationship between Big Tech and the media. Google s funding programmes for the media, in particular, have to date eluded rigorous scholarly inquiry. Many news media organisations are facing an economic crisis, and technology companies and their founders are playing a growing role within the media world. In the context of these two related developments, this study by the Otto Brenner Foundation (OBS) examines the relationship between the German news media and the tech corporation Google. As stated in the report, Since 2015 at the latest, the company has funded the European industry to the tune of several hundred million euros. At the same time, Google is both a technology and business partner to many publishers, as well as an economic competitor. There is therefore a certain tension between Google s roles as a sponsor, partner, competitor, and subject of reporting. One key aim of this study is, therefore, to in