The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) and their affiliates call on Google to be transparent in its recently inked deals with news publishers and ensure that journalists are provided with a fair share, the unions said in a statement on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) and their affiliates call on Google to be transparent in its recently inked deals with news publishers and ensure that journalists are provided with a fair share, the unions said in a statement on Wednesday.
On June 25, Google announced that it would pay select publishers for their news articles as part of a new licensing program to encourage "high-quality content," saying that a vibrant and credible news industry mattered more than ever "in the midst of a global pandemic and growing concerns about racial injustice around the world." Partnerships have been struck with national and local media outlets in Germany, Australia and Brazil, including Spiegel, Solstice Media and Diarios Associados.
"Google finally reaching for its wallet is good news and a step in the right direction, but much more must be done to ensure that the process and the remuneration are fair, and that journalists benefit," IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said, as quoted by the press release.
The statement suggests that with this "licensing program" Google might distract attention from its legal obligation to pay all publishers and save money.
"We regret that some newspapers have opted for individual deals rather than collective negotiation, and we warn regulators against lax approaches that would see the tech giant circumvent EU legal obligations to pay the media and journalists," EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez said.
At the same time, in the United States, a coalition of news publishers is pushing for a Journalism Preservation Act that would allow them to collectively negotiate better terms with the company. According to the US publishers, Google "used its online market dominance to strong-arm them into unfavorable content agreements."
