Google And California, Have You Heard About This?

Google and California made an agreement to avoid a proposed law in California that would have required tech companies, like Google, to pay news organizations for using their content. The legislation could have forced it to pay for every piece of news content shared on its platforms.

This deal provides financial support to local newsrooms, helping them continue to operate in their communities. But it shows how big tech companies like Google can impact the news we get.

I like the idea of funding local news, but if big tech companies start funding news, they could influence what gets reported, but is that any worse than the current corruption and bias already present in the media?

Thoughts?

 

This sort of thing already happened in Canada and Australia where big tech basically stopped providing news that they would have to pay under the legislation. The news blackout ended once the big tech firms settled an agreement.

Google and Canada reach deal to avert news ban over Online News Act - BBC News
Australia news code: What’s this row with Facebook and Google all about? - BBC News

 

Local news in the UK has been trying to bargain with the BBC so they can stay afloat too.