In a new piece published La Presse, columnist Laura-Julie Perreault traveled to Australia to examine how the country’s News Media Bargaining Code, which Canada’s federal government is looking to emulate, has helped news publishers in the country one year after passing into law.
The challenge, of course, was figuring out to level the playing field between smaller regional newspapers and Silicon Valley giants, such as Facebook and Google. Paul Thomas, the CEO of Star News Group, a media company owned by the same family for the past four generations, said the Bargaining Code was a critical intervention by the government to ensure Tech Giants came to the table to negotiate a fair remuneration for use of journalistic work.
So far, the results of the legislation have helped produce positive results. Multiple organizations have established agreements with Facebook and Google and have hired many more journalists.
“It’s really a David versus Goliath story,” Thomas said.
