Publisher hits out at Google’s ‘shallow commitment’ to Australia’s media sector
Queer publisher QNews has taken aim at Google for “undermining the sustainability of Australia’s diverse media sector” after the digital giant stopped some deals made under the News Media Bargaining Code (NMBC).
The escalation in rhetoric comes after it was revealed Google was reviewing its financial commitments to a collective of 24 publishers in a deal it had struck back in 2022.
Google had committed to paying the publishers for the use of their content in a deal brokered via the Minderoo Foundation in 2022. Making such financial arrangements meant the big tech company avoided being ‘designated’ under the NMBC, which would have forced it to commit to commercial deals with local publishers.
Despite Google’s insistence that it “has continually demonstrated strong support for public interest journalism, and is the only technology company with an extensive number of significant commercial agreements with Australian publishers”, one publisher has challenged its commitment.
QNews’ publisher, and the co-convener of the Public Interest Publishers Alliance (PIPA), Richard Bakker, said the latest development demonstrated the broader power imbalance in the industry.
Richard Bakker
“Google walking away from these agreements years ahead of schedule is yet another example of big tech undermining the sustainability of Australia’s diverse media sector,” he said in a statement to Mumbrella.
“We were led to believe these deals were about building long-term support for smaller, community-focused publishers. Their early exit shows just how shallow that commitment really was.
“For outlets like ours, which exist to give voice to underrepresented communities, these funding cuts aren’t just numbers on a page — they directly affect our ability to inform, support, and represent vulnerable Australians.”
The deal operated on a year-by-year basis, however it had been intended to run for five years, through to 2027. Some publishers within the collective feel Google has not acted in good faith by changing the parameters.
Giles Parkinson, the founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy, told Mumbrella: “Like the other small and regional publishers, we are disappointed with the decision and are assessing what it means for our businesses as we go forward.”
Google declined to comment on the broader PIPA situation and QNews’ latest allegations. Instead, it pointed to a statement from Monday which said reports about Google’s commitment to news deals with Australian publishers are not correct.
“In fact, this year alone, Google has renewed 50 commercial agreements with news publishers in Australia, representing more than 100 publications. This includes Australian Community Media, Junkee, Yahoo, Private Media, The Conversation, Schwartz and Southern Cross Austereo,” the official statement said.
“In 2024, we renewed our earliest agreements, which includes Country Press Australia, representing over 80 rural and regional publications.
“As we’ve said many times publicly, we are committed to supporting public interest journalism in Australia and continue to renew deals with a wide range of publishers large, small and emerging.”
Mumbrella understands that QNews’ Google News Showcase deal was renewed in May this year, and will be continuing.
Google News Showcase is a web product and associated licensing program that launched locally in 2021. Under the agreements, Google pays publishers to use their content in story panels that appear within Google News and Discover. Google says it helps participating publishers to present their stories in a more engaging way, with greater context and perspective, while also offering increased traffic and revenue potential.
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