Unifor pleased to see Google's $100M annual contribution to Canadian newsrooms
TORONTO, Oct. 30, 2024 /CNW/ - Unifor is pleased to see a path forward to distribute Google's $100 million annual contribution to Canada's news businesses, after the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced Monday it was granting Google a five-year exemption from the Online News Act (ONA).
"It's a relief the money will begin to flow with a quick turnaround time, injecting some much-needed support to our journalist and media worker members and helping to save local news," said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
"Unifor has argued from the beginning that the ONA and related regulations should focus on the principles of transparency, accountability and inclusivity. We're glad to see our asks reflected."
To qualify for the exemption, Google must release the funds to Canadian news publishers within 60 days for the first payment, a measure Unifor supports, as newsrooms desperately need a new sustainable source of funding.
Google initially agreed to the annual payment, indexed to inflation, to sidestep mandatory agreements with news publishers for reposted Canadian content under the ONA.
The Canadian Journalism Collective (CJC) will manage how these funds will be divvied up across eligible Canadian news outlets, according to the CRTC.
Unifor is also satisfied to see many of the union's recommendations have become part of the formal guidelines for the collection and distribution of the new funds, including ensuring journalistic independence as a cornerstone of the Act.
Regulations require that the CJC include in the member agreement a commitment that news businesses not allow corporate influence to undermine freedom of expression or journalistic independence.
"News businesses that employ our members have been struggling to survive. The last two years have seen hundreds of layoffs and this funding from Google is long overdue," said Unifor Media Director Randy Kitt.
"Google paying their fair share for the news they profit from is just one piece of the legislative puzzle to ensure a healthy and vibrant news media in Canada."
Other recommendations the union made include an emphasis on funds going towards the creation of local, regional and national news, with a focus on supporting stable, permanent journalism jobs.
Unifor also lobbied that the CJC must provide fair compensation to a range of news businesses in local and regional markets across Canada, including for-profit and not-for-profit, Indigenous news outlets, and official language minority community (OLMC) news outlets, and serve diverse communities, including Black and other racialized communities.
As for Facebook, instead of paying its fair share, the tech giant has decided to eliminate news from its platform. Now, however, it is applying its policy inconsistently and misinformation is running rampant.
Facebook has proven it is a terrible corporate citizen and has become a danger to our sovereignty and our democracy. Unifor demands that Facebook do business in Canada in a responsible way and support the Canadian news ecosystem that they profit from.
Unifor represents more than 10,000 media workers, including journalists in the broadcast and print news industry.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
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