Australian Publishers Went Dark This Week In Protest for More Payments From Platforms

Yesterday, Mar. 23, over 30 small and medium media outlets in Australia stopped publishing news for 24 hours, protesting against Meta’s failure to pay publishers for the journalism that appears on Facebook. The freeze cost publishers nearly millions of dollars in lost ad revenue, according to sources. The #WaitingOnZuck campaign, led by social cause consultancy Decade of Action, is a response to the 12-month review of the News Media Bargaining Code that was signed into law last February. “Zuck has failed to come to the table,” reads the campaign website, “making secret deals that exacerbate the massive competitive disadvantage, badly impacting the ‘little guys’ of this vital industry—our small and medium news businesses.” Since then, Meta has struck commercial deals that support more than 200 newsrooms, including large, deep-pocketed media organizations like News Corp, which boast substantial deals with tech companies like Meta and Google in its financial statement. "All we are asking for is to be given the same respect as was afforded the bigger players," said founder of business corporation Pro Bono Australia Karen Mahlab, who estimates these deals were worth an estimated $200 million. UK Digital Platforms Team With ASA to Clean Up Advertising With New Pilot Program Through its website, the campaign encourages those willing to help to “get in touch with Zuck: Email, tweet, DM or maybe meet Zuck in the Metaverse,” while suggesting advocates email Australia's federal treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, saying “if digital platforms don't come to the table to negotiate with small and medium publishers they must be designated.” Australian publishers including City Hub, Broadsheet, Concrete Playground, Australian Jewish News and Australian Chinese Daily are in favor of the campaign, demanding a commercial deal based on negotiation instead of receiving grants based on Facebook's terms. Publishers call for designation With the code up for review, one outcome is designation, which would force big tech companies to negotiate under the arbitration mechanisms set up under the mandatory bargaining code legislation, said Nick Shelton, director and publisher at Broadsheet Media. "If the platforms do not negotiate with independent publishers in good faith, then we will be advocating for designation," said Shelton. "Our ultimate goal is a thriving news industry." Currently, all financial deals done by the platforms with publishers have been done outside the code. "All publishers would prefer to negotiate outside the code," said Mahlab, "however, the platforms have declined to work with all publishers." In response to the ongoing campaign, a Meta spokesperson told Adweek “commercial deals are just one of the ways that Meta provides support to publishers, and we’ve had ongoing discussions with publishers about the types of news content that can best deliver value for publishers and for Meta.” As well as supporting the 200 newsrooms across Australia, Meta has pledged $15 million in funding 54 smaller newsrooms and independent publishers through the Australian News Fund, in partnership with the Walkley Foundation. “These substantial investments cover the vast majority of newsrooms producing public-interest journalism in Australia," said the Meta spokesperson. The start of a movement According to the News Media Bargaining Code, tech companies like Google and Facebook, are required to negotiate individual payments with local media outlets whose links are displayed on the platform. If they fail to strike a deal, a government-appointed mediator will decide how much the big techs pay. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) considers the code a success where "digital platforms have reached a huge number of commercial deals with a wide range of news media companies," an ACCC spokesperson told Adweek. Countries like Canada and the U.S. are trying to emulate Australia in a similar law. In the U.S., the proposed Journalism Competition and Preservation Act has been introduced in the Senate and if passed will suspend antitrust rules that allow media to collectively negotiate with big tech companies. "This is the start of a movement," said managing partner at D.O.A, Ebony Gaylor. "This is bigger than what is happening here, with countries around the world looking to Australia as a model, we want this to be a message that independent publishers must not be left behind."

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Australian Publishers Went Dark This Week In Protest for More Payments From Platforms

Over 30 independent media outlets stalled from publishing news

Trishla Ostwal

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Trishla Ostwal