Lessons from Canada: California Journalism Preservation Act will help save local news | Opinion
Misinformation thrives when local news dies. Local news is critical to keeping residents informed and holding government officials accountable. But thanks to dominant tech companies like Google and Meta, the local news industry in the U.S. and Canada is dying, helping misinformation thrive and accelerating the growth of news deserts (areas that lack local news source).
In California, legislators are considering Oakland Asm. Buffy Wicks’ Assembly Bill 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act, which would require large tech companies like Google and Meta to compensate digital journalism providers for their California content.
California legislators could learn a lesson from their neighbors up north. Last year, in an effort to help save local news, the Canadian Parliament passed The Online News Act. This groundbreaking new law requires dominant tech platforms to compensate news publishers for their content.
Prior to the introduction of the act — and in an effort to thwart it — Google and Meta adopted a divide-and-conquer approach by doping deals with large publishers and leaving smaller independent publishers like me out in the cold. But tech giants should not be picking winners and losers.
Months after the bill was enacted, to avoid being forced into arbitration under the law, Google agreed to pay Canadian publishers and broadcasters $100 million in Canadian revenue annually.
Now, with a similar bill working its way through the California Legislature, I am speaking to you from the future, where news publishers are compensated fairly for the work their journalists produce and monies are reinvested in newsrooms.
In Canada, the Online News Act has provided a lifeline for many news organizations. This financial support is not a handout; it is a recognition of the vital role that journalism plays in a democratic society. It’s also a recognition of the vital role that our news stories play in making Google and Meta two of the largest companies in the world.
As a small Canadian newspaper publisher and proud third-generation owner of Le Courrier de Saint-Hyacinthe — the oldest French language newspaper in North America, founded in 1853 — as well as several other newspapers in Quebec, I’ve witnessed firsthand the challenges that local journalism faces.
Before the Online News Act, advertising revenue had dwindled as it flowed toward the digital platforms, leading to newsroom closures, job losses and a decline in the quality and quantity of local news coverage. Our communities suffered as a result, becoming less informed and more susceptible to misinformation.
The benefits of Canada’s legislation will soon begin to materialize. Small- and medium-sized publishers will receive compensation needed to invest in quality fact-based, fact-checked journalism, allowing them to rebuild their newsrooms, foster investigative journalism and ensure that important local stories are told. Moreover, it will rebalance the power dynamic between news publishers and tech giants, ensuring that those who produce valuable content are paid what they are due.
Drawing on lessons learned here in Canada, it’s clear that the California Journalism Preservation Act will be crucial for preserving the future of independent journalism. Passing the bill will compel tech platforms to pay for the journalism from which they benefit tremendously, providing essential funding to California’s news organizations. This, in turn, will help sustain and revitalize local journalism throughout the state, ensuring that communities remain informed and engaged.
In an era of rampant misinformation, the importance of reliable, local journalism cannot be overstated. The California Journalism Preservation Act is a step toward ensuring that news organizations have the resources they need to continue serving their communities.