Journalist opposition to Google’s proposed California deal grows
Colleagues,
More opposition keeps rolling in against Google’s proposed settlement to kill California legislation regulating the monopoly’s control over our local newsrooms.
California hasn’t appropriated the public funds necessary to actualize a public-private partnership with Google, which was sketched out behind closed doors after the monopoly strong-armed California’s elected leaders and publishers. Given that legislative reality, we are skeptical about the viability of a draft framework that isn’t supported in its current form by a single organization representing California’s journalists and news workers. Our Guild and others declared our opposition last week.
As we say in the news business, sunlight is the best disinfectant. In recent days, our respected peers representing California’s journalists and news workers, after getting a look at the terms of Google’s proposal, have added their own opposition and criticism, including:
National Association of Hispanic Journalists:
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists sees no evidence that the journalism-support bill announced last week in the California Legislature will improve coverage of Latinos and other underserved communities – which should be the litmus test for any journalism-support measure.
“We’re also concerned it fails to provide a structural solution to the core issue faced by newsrooms: compensation for content used by technology companies to generate search advertising revenue and train AI models,” said Julio-César Chávez, vice president of broadcast on NAHJ’s national board.”
CCNMA Latino Journalists of California:
CCNMA Latino Journalists of California opposes the backroom deal killing legislation that would have required Google to pay news organizations for distributing their content. … Founded in Los Angeles in 1972, CCNMA is the oldest advocacy organization for journalists of color in the United States. CCNMA sees no long-term public benefit in this deal, and we request that California’s elected officials reject this agreement and ensure that Google shoulders its responsibility.
Asian American Journalists Association, Los Angeles chapter:
Powerful bills our elected officials proposed to help newsrooms were gutted to benefit a select few - thanks to a closed-door draft agreement between California Governor, Buffy Wicks & Google. You should know. … AAJA-LA strongly opposes the draft agreement related to public funding of newsrooms as it stands and asks lawmakers to include a diverse range of voices, including AANHPI journalists, in any final policy or program that is approved.
Society of Professional Journalists President Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins:
“As other states study this effort for lessons on how to bolster local journalism, I hope California leaders will set an example that both centers and honors the input of working professionals who fight tirelessly to keep the public informed.”
This letter is to strongly oppose the draft agreement related to public funding of newsrooms as it stands, express our support for legislation similar to SB 1327 and AB 886, and to advocate for a role for the California State University journalism programs in any funding or legislation that is passed to supporting newsrooms.
Writers Guild of America West:
California government should not be making backroom deals with tech monopolies—much less ones that fund AI's plagiarism machines—over the protests of labor and journalists.
California Federation of Labor Unions President Lorena Gonzalez:
“If you’re going to have a deal about journalism, it should include the journalists,” she told the Chronicle on Thursday after addressing the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. “You cannot save an industry with a policy proposal that the workers in that industry are adamantly opposed to.”
American Economic Liberties Project Senior Counsel Lee Hepner:
“Journalists have been totally railroaded by the shady CJPA deal. At a minimum, lawmakers must increase Google's payment, condition benefits on labor CBAs, and support new co-ops. Oh and scrap the AI ‘accelerator.’ Shady deals with illegal monopolists are no way to set AI policy.”
Open Markets Institute and the Center for Journalism and Liberty:
The Open Markets Institute and the Center for Journalism and Liberty stand arm in arm with the many journalists and news publishers who have condemned this deal. ... It is important to recognize that California’s journalists and publishers – along with their colleagues across the nation and around the world – have been victims of a long-term predation by immensely powerful corporations that have illegally diverted billions of dollars of advertising into their own vaults while monopolizing search and social media.
If lawmakers decide to move forward with a settlement with Google in lieu of regulation, our Guild has made clear our own requests that Google must pay its fair share to support local newsrooms; large publishers must have non-expired collective bargaining agreements in place with their journalists and news workers in order to qualify for any public funding; and journalist-run news co-operatives, which usually emerge after the collapse of traditional newsrooms, should be given extra support.
In solidarity,
Matt Pearce
President, Media Guild of the West
The NewsGuild-CWA Local 39213