New Zealand intends to require big tech companies like Google and Meta to pay local media companies for the content they use and share on their platforms.
Willie Jackson, New Zealand’s broadcasting minister, announced Sunday that legislation is being drafted that will build on similar legislation in Australia, as well as pending legislation in Canada and action in the UK and EU.
“It’s not fair that big digital platforms like Google and Meta can host and share local news for free. News is hard to produce and all they pay for is justice,” Jackson said in a statement.
Jackson noted that the New Zealand media, especially small and medium-sized newspapers, are struggling to survive as traditional advertising moves online. “So it’s critical that those who benefit from your news content actually pay for it,” she said.
In the United States, for example, the estimated profits of newspaper publishers fell 52% between 2002 and 2020, according to census data.
Jackson said the New Zealand bill is designed as a “backstop” to encourage big tech companies to enter into voluntary compensation agreements with publishers themselves. But if agreements cannot be reached, “the legislation establishes negotiation processes and mandatory negotiation.”
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In 2021, Google and Facebook separately agreed to pay local news publishers in Australia after Australia passed a law in 2020 mandating compensation to create a “sustainable media landscape.”
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