Google and California’s New People’s Dailies
Local newsrooms have been struggling amid a decline in advertising revenue and subscribers in the internet age. This means less news about local events and less scrutiny of local officials. But the worst response would be to have government finance what would amount to state-sanctioned newsrooms.
Enter Democrats, who this month advanced legislation modeled on laws in Australia and Canada that would require large internet platforms to pay publishers a share of their advertising revenue. Google and others threatened to sue and remove links to California news sites if the law passed.
The new agreement between Google and Democrats averts a costly legal fight for both sides. Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed it would ensure “the survival of newsrooms.” Don’t bet on that if he means independent journalism. This collusion between Big Tech and Sacramento will turn media outlets into de facto government subsidiaries.
