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The News Media Alliance commends the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) for the release of the Draft News Media Bargaining Code, aimed at rectifying the imbalance of power between news publishers and digital platforms. The ACCC draft mandatory Code would give publishers the ability to negotiate with the big tech platforms, such as Google and Facebook, in good faith to be meaningfully compensated for their content, and require them to disclose algorithmic changes that could affect news publishers’ bottom lines.
Alliance President & CEO, David Chavern, said, “Journalists across the globe work tirelessly to provide high-quality, accurate, and sometimes lifesaving information to their readers. However, a few digital platforms make up the rules and serve as the gatekeepers to all of this information, depriving publishers of vital data and revenue and leaving them with little to no bargaining power to protect and monetize their content.”
Chavern continued, “This is an encouraging first step toward a compensation framework to ensure we are adequately compensated for our content, and serves as an example for other countries around the world to follow. We commend the ACCC for championing quality journalism and ensuring that it is protected in the online ecosystem.”
The ACCC is accepting comments on the Draft Code until late August. The Australian Parliament must pass the final legislation before the Code would take effect.
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David Chavern is former President & CEO of the News/Media Alliance. Chavern has 30 years of experience in executive strategic and operational roles. Prior to the Alliance, he completed a decade-long tenure at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
