News Media Bargaining Code should become law, concludes senate committee
February 12, 2021 3:56
The News Media Bargaining Code bill should be passed, “despite the concerns raised”, the senate economics legislation committee has concluded in a report released this afternoon.
“The committee is confident that the bill will deliver on its intended outcomes. Its provisions will provide the basis for a more equitable relationship between the media and Google/Facebook and, through this, help safeguard public interest journalism in Australia,” stated the report. “Accordingly, the committee recommends that the bill be passed.”
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The bill will now progress to a vote in the Senate as soon as next week, and if passed would become a world-first piece of legislation binding the digital platforms to negotiate with publishers, and progress to arbitration if the parties cannot agree on a price for news.
February 5, 2021 10:43
Google News Showcase has launched in Australia, paying a first round of mastheads – owned by Australian Community Media (ACM), Private Media, Schwartz Media, Solstice Media and The Conversation – for news through licence deals that will last at least three years.
The launch, which was foreshadowed last week after originally being halted when the draft News Media Bargaining Code was released, suggests a softening of Google’s campaign against the code. Mumbrella understands Showcase would ideally sit under a revised code and allow publishers to progress to arbitration should disagreements arise.
Google has maintained the current code asks it to pay for links, which the company has signalled is reason enough to withdraw its search function from Australia should it be enacted without modification. But the launch and three-year licensing deals, initially struck last year, indicate a long term investment in local content and the local market.
Founding editor of Buzzfeed Australia, Simon Crerar, to co-launch local news startup
February 4, 2021 8:01
Buzzfeed Australia’s founding editor and former general manager, Simon Crerar, has partnered with three other co-founders to create a local news startup. PS Media’s purpose is addressing the market failure for local news, including establishing mastheads in communities where newspapers have shuttered, creating news deserts.
Since early 2019, 194 local newsrooms have closed, Crerar told Mumbrella. The new platform will have a different business model to other “creaking and struggling” regional news companies and employ local journalists. But before the launch, planned for next year, the first steps are to fundraise, listen to what communities want, and “co-create this with Australia”.
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