Google agrees to first-in-the-nation deal to fund California newsrooms, but journalists are calling it a disaster
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CNN
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Google struck a first-in-the-nation deal with California lawmakers on Wednesday to fund newsrooms in the state and end proposed legislation that would have forced technology giants to pay news organizations for distributing their content. But the agreement was immediately met with fierce criticism from journalist unions, who called the deal "disastrous."
The plan calls for a $250 million commitment over five years from Google and the state, a majority of which would fund California newsrooms, and launch an artificial intelligence "accelerator" designed to support journalists' work.
The deal ends a high-profile bill, dubbed the California Journalism Preservation Act by state assemblymember Buffy Wicks, that would have forced technology companies, including Google (GOOGL) and Meta (META), to pay news companies to distribute their content online. The bill, which was modeled after similar laws implemented in Australia and Canada, would have funded local news organizations that have seen their business models collapse amid the rise of big tech platforms.
"As technology and innovation advance, it is critical that California continues to champion the vital role of journalism in our democracy," Wicks said in a statement. "This partnership represents a cross-sector commitment to supporting a free and vibrant press, empowering local news outlets up and down the state to continue in their essential work. This is just the beginning. I remain committed to finding even more ways to support journalism in our state for years to come."
WCBS Newsradio 880 reporter Peter Haskell takes notes during a news conference in New York on March 24, 2021.
Mary Altaffer/AP
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had not publicly weighed in on the bill, also hailed the deal, calling it "a major breakthrough in ensuring the survival of newsrooms and bolstering local journalism across California, leveraging substantial tech industry resources without imposing new taxes on Californians."
News publishers have struggled mightily in recent years, shedding thousands of jobs and prompting the closure of some outlets altogether as advertising dollars and audiences have rapidly shifted away from traditional publications.
Ironically, the deal announced Wednesday also championed a so-called "National AI Innovation Accelerator," adding funding for developing artificial intelligence, which journalists have warned poses a danger to the future of their industry and threatens to further stir distrust in news reporting.
The deal was supported by the California News Publishers Association, which represents hundreds of news outlets, Google's parent company and OpenAI. But it was sharply criticized by unions representing the state's journalists, which had supported Wicks' bill to fund newsrooms but were not involved with the deal.
"The future of journalism should not be decided in backroom deals," the Media Guild of the West, The NewsGuild-CWA and others said in a joint statement. "The Legislature embarked on an effort to regulate monopolies and failed terribly. Now we question whether the state has done more harm than good. California's journalists and news workers OPPOSE this disastrous deal with Google and condemn the news executives who consented to it in our names."
The deal also faced blowback from other Democrats in the California legislature, including state Sen. Steve Glazer, who had proposed a bill of his own to provide tax credits for employing full-time journalists.
"Despite the good intentions of the parties involved, this proposal does not provide sufficient resources to bring independent news gathering in California out of its death spiral," Glazer said Wednesday during a press conference. "Google's offer is completely inadequate and massively short of matching their settlement agreement in Canada in supporting on-the-ground local news reporting."
The deal comes months after Google elected to block news content in California over the proposed law from Wicks, drawing swift backlash from news outlets in the state.
The News/Media Alliance, which represents US newspapers and online publications, said it had sent letters to the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and the California Attorney General to request an investigation into whether Google broke any laws by limiting access to the news outlets.
Google previously threatened to take similar action in Canada ahead of the country's new law requiring digital platforms to compensate news publishers for their work, but eventually backed down and agreed to pay publishers for their news content. Under Canada's Online News Act, Google will pay $74 million per year into a fund that will be distributed to publishers.
