Arlington, VA – Yesterday, the Canadian Journalism Collective announced that they have started distributing payments to publishers from Google’s payment under Canada’s Online News Act. 108 publishers have received payment, totaling over C$22 million, with payments as high as C$4.27 million to individual publishers. This is a partial payment for the first year, estimated to be 60% of their annual payment. The News/Media Alliance has confirmed that publishers have been receiving these payments to their accounts.
Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of the News/Media Alliance, said, “These funds not only represent a significant victory for journalism in Canada, they also offer proof that the platform compensation model within Canada’s Online News Act, which also underlies the federal Journalism Competition and Preservation Act and state bills like the Oregon Journalism Protection Act, is a viable and compelling option for American markets as well. Publishers deserve to be compensated when major tech platforms profit from their work, and Canada’s example proves that this model will work for publishers in the United States and start to reverse the damage that the Big Tech platforms have wreaked on the American news ecosystem.”
The News/Media Alliance has been advocating for legislation based on the Online News Act and Australia’s successful News Media Bargaining Code, including SB 686 in Oregon, which is scheduled for a committee vote on Monday, May 5; the Illinois Journalism Preservation Act, SB 1732; and A7178/S4401 in New York.
