‘Good for the future of public interest journalism’: Google renews Australian news agreements
Google has renewed its news agreement with an Australian publisher responsible for 80 rural and region titles.
Country Press Australia announced the renewal of its partnership with Google, which includes investments in tools and resources, training programs, audience analytics, and the continuation of Google News Showcase support across its 80 publications.
“Google’s commitment to Country Press Australia and its 240 member mastheads is highly valued, as is the strong relationship we’ve built with their team over the past three years,” said Andrew Schreyer, president of Country Press Australia.
“The renewal of Country Press Australia‘s agreement with Google shows it values our members’ unique and professionally produced content from rural, regional and local communities in every Australian state and territory.
“And our members value Google’s support as it helps them keep supporting their communities with local public interest journalism that forms an essential piece of democratic infrastructure.
“This is not only a great outcome for Google and Country Press Australia members, but also good for the future of public interest journalism in rural, regional and local communities at a challenging time for the industry.”
Schreyer slammed Meta earlier this year, when the company announced it would discontinue content deals with Australian publishers, including CPA.
“Meta’s actions undermine our democracy,” he told The Australian. “The company displays such disdain for the work of the news industry. It undermines public confidence in the media sector.”
Nic Hopkins, Google’s local head of news partnerships, said of its deal with CPA: “Local news is essential to informed and thriving communities, and we recognise the critical role that CPA publications play in delivering this vital service. We remain committed to supporting their long-term sustainability and success.”
Google has recently extended agreements with numerous independent regional Australian publishers, including Solstice Media, Times News Group, The Conversation, Women’s Agenda, and Independent Australia.
This comes as Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones is expected to rule before Christmas whether or not to ‘designate’ Meta under the News Bargaining Code, which would move force it to negotiate commercial terms with Australian media companies.
“The Albanese government supports journalists and a vibrant media industry in this country,” a spokesperson for Jones told The Australian.
“We want to ensure that companies like Meta continue to make a contribution to public interest journalism in this country.
“The government will have more to say soon.”
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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