A disturbing proposal has emerged in California, where Big Tech giants Google and Meta are teaming up with the government to fund what they deem “proper” journalism. This unholy alliance has sparked concerns about the erosion of a free press and the manipulation of public discourse.
Google’s dominance in the online advertising market has long been a subject of controversy. With a federal court recently ruling that the company has a monopoly in online search, and another trial set to begin on September 9 to determine whether it also has a monopoly in online advertising, the tech giant’s grip on the market is under scrutiny.
Despite efforts by Congress to address the harms inflicted by Google’s monopoly power through legislation, the company has used its vast resources to lobby against such measures. Its control over online advertising, which it acquired through its purchase of DoubleClick in 2007, has allowed it to skim off half of all online advertising dollars, leaving news organizations with dwindling revenue.
The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, which aimed to create a temporary antitrust safe harbor for publishers to negotiate a fair advertising deal with Google and Facebook, was defeated by Google’s lobbying efforts. However, California Democrats have now introduced a new proposal that is even more alarming.
Under the California Journalism Preservation Act, Google and Meta would each contribute $55 million over five years to the University of California, Berkeley, which would then distribute the funds to local news organizations serving “news deserts” and “underserved and underrepresented communities.” However, this plan has been criticized for being a thinly veiled attempt to create a slush fund for leftist organizations that support the Democratic Party.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has hailed the deal as a way to “rebuild a robust and dynamic California press corps,” but critics argue that it would only serve to further entrench the Democratic Party’s control over the media landscape. California Republicans have expressed opposition to the plan, but it remains to be seen whether they can stop it from becoming law.
This development has sparked calls for conservatives to redouble their efforts to pass the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, a law that would supersede California’s legislation and promote a more level playing field for news organizations.
