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ACCC invites journalists to have their say on digital platforms inquiry at public forum

The ACCC has announced the next stage of its digital platforms inquiry with journalists invited to give their views on the impact of services such as Facebook and Google on the media at a forum in Sydney next month.

ACCC head Rod Sims said last month the effects of digital platforms on the quality of news and journalism in this country is one of the key questions being considered by the ACCC inquiry.

ACCC chair Rod Sims will convene the forum discussing the digital platforms’ effect upon the media industry

“Quality is extremely hard to assess, but broadly speaking we will be investigating whether the reduction in advertising revenue prevents publishers and broadcasters from delivering quality journalism, by which we mean investigative, verified and diverse journalism,” said Sims.

The Sydney forum follows events in Melbourne during May for advertisers and consumers. Issues raised by the advertisers during their session included the cost of ad fraud, the difficulty in competing with the online giants and the lack of visibility across the adtech stack.

Called last year following the passage of the government’s media reforms, the inquiry is to report on disruptive effect of digital platforms on society.

The inquiry’s initial round of public comments saw 57 submissions presented with Google and Facebook highlighting the positive effects of their services, while media companies focused on a range of complaints including market abuse, copyright infringement and the lack of a level playing field between publishers and the online services.

At the Sydney forum, which Sims will chair, questions the ACCC is seeking responses on include:

  • the positive and negative impacts that digital platforms are having on journalists and journalism in Australia
  • the advantages and disadvantages for journalists using digital platforms to publish or distribute their content
  • the positive and negative impacts that digital platforms are having on the choice and quality of news for consumers
  • the initiatives or measures that government (or others) could consider to support the provision of quality journalism in Australia
  • the future of journalism in Australia in a digital marketplace
  • what changes, if any, journalists would like to see in relation to the interaction between digital platforms and journalism.

The forum will take place on 15 August from 6pm at the Aerial UTS Function Centre in Ultimo. Registrations to either attend in person or for online submissions are available through the ACCC website.

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