Can there be peace between Big Tech and news media?

The International News Media Association has posted a new blog entry (full text can be read here) that, in light of what has taken place in Canada over the past week, poses a critical question: Can there be peace between Big Tech and news media?

The piece describes how relationships between both sides changed earlier this year because of what took place in Australia. The ripple effect through the rest of the world means that, at some point, Big Tech platforms will pay news media companies for content — and they will pay in amounts that are boggling to the bottom line.

INMA’s Robert Whitehead sat down with Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), for a lengthy interview about the details of the Australian bargaining code, discussions about copyright, and what the Australian experience can mean for the rest of the world.

“I am very happy with how it came out,” Sims said. “I think it will achieve its objective completely. It was all about rebalancing a bargaining imbalance, which caused a market failure. We think it was a necessary step to ensure that journalism gets paid for what it should be paid for, which is the content it supplies that benefits the Google and Facebook platforms.”

You can watch the full 21 minute video here.