{"id":803282,"date":"2022-09-19T01:13:22","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T01:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/?p=79318"},"modified":"2022-09-19T01:13:22","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T01:13:22","slug":"global-tech-titans-under-growing-nz-pressure-to-pay-for-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/09\/19\/global-tech-titans-under-growing-nz-pressure-to-pay-for-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Global tech titans under growing NZ pressure to pay for news"},"content":{"rendered":"
RNZ News<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n By Colin Peacock<\/a>, RNZ Mediawatch<\/a> presenter<\/em><\/p>\n There is mounting pressure on tech titans Google and Facebook to pay local news media to carry their news online.<\/p>\n Google has already done deals with some for its News Showcase, but other big names in news are still trying to get the platforms to pay — and the government is hinting it could force the issue soon.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you putting the hard word on them to secure deals to pay for content? Are you going to legislate?\u201d Newshub Nation <\/em>host Simon Shepherd asked Willie Jackson last weekend, putting the hard word on the broadcasting and media minister.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you putting the hard word on them to secure deals to pay for content? Are you going to legislate?\u201d Newshub Nation <\/em>host Simon Shepherd asked Willie Jackson a week ago, putting the hard word on the broadcasting and media minister.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m trying really hard. I have said to them, [in] three months let’s see the deals in the marketplace,\u201d the minister replied.<\/p>\n For years local news media have griped about getting very little from the platforms distributing their stuff to huge audiences\u00a0 — and profiting from it.<\/p>\n The thing most likely to persuade the tech titans to pay local newsmakers is the likelihood of the government forcing the issue with legislation — and this was the first time that a government minister had set any kind of deadline publicly.<\/p>\n ‘I want to see fairness’<\/strong> Some of the deals that have been done were revealed earlier this month when Google launched<\/a> the local version of its News Showcase service, now available via Google’s websites and apps.<\/p>\n The first Kiwi outlets ever to get regular payments from Google for that include The New Zealand Herald’s<\/em> owner NZME and its subscriber subsidiary BusinessDesk,<\/em> RNZ, online sites Scoop<\/em> and Newsroom<\/em> and the Pacific Media Network. There is also a handful of local outlets too like Crux<\/em>, which serves the Southern Lakes region, and Kapiti News<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s part of our commitment to continuing to play a part in what we see as a very important shared responsibility to ensure the long term sustainability of public interest journalism in New Zealand,\u201d Google’s local country representative Carolyn Rainsford told RNZ\u2019s Gyles Beckford recently.<\/p>\n Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson described that as \u201ca good start, but not enough\u201d — while the Spinoff\u2019s founder Duncan Grieve was also underwhelmed<\/a>.<\/p>\n He reckoned it was actually Willie Jackson that Google had in mind with the Showcase launch \u201cto create a sense that Google is now a solid and public spirited ally to the news industry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n
\n\u201cI want to see some fairness. I want to see all these Kiwi news organisations looked after . . and these big players have the funding and the resourcing to be able to do that,\u201d Willie Jackson told Newshub Nation<\/em>.<\/p>\n