Today, publishers across Australia are joining forces to shine a light on the obscene power imbalance between independent journalism and digital platforms in a news freeze. Many will not be publishing their usual stories covering Australian culture and communities.
Because we are all waiting on Mark Zuckerberg.
A year ago, the federal government passed the News Media Bargaining Code into law. The Code would require designated tech platforms to strike commercial deals with Australian publishers that recognised the value of the content those publishers provided the platforms.
While Facebook (Meta) has agreed to some commercial deals, they have refused to negotiate with most of Australia’s independent and small publishers. This risks the slow demise of meaningful independent media in Australia which gives our industry its diversity.
The News Media Bargaining Code was a great start, however, the unintended consequence is that Australia’s independent and small publishers have been damaged, and face a severe competitive disadvantage. Which is why we are calling on Josh Frydenberg (and the Department of Treasury) to designate digital platforms under the Code.
Today publishers have found a single voice. And we’re intending to use it to protect the future of independent media in Australia.
Nick Shelton
Publisher and Director
Broadsheet
