Digital publishers unite with fears ACCC code may ‘disadvantage the rich variety of new media voices’
Ten of the country’s leading digital publishers have united with concerns the ACCC’s News Media Bargaining Code may hurt diversity in the Australian media landscape.
The group have urged Facebook, Google and the ACCC to work together to ensure the new code, which is currently under review, doesn’t ‘disadvantage the rich variety of new media voices that have sprung up over the last decade and a half’.
A statement from the group was released to the media today and will be forwarded to the ACCC next week. The publications taking part include Junkee Media, Broadsheet Media, Concrete Playground, Urban List, We Are Explorers, Starts at 60, Man of Many, The Daily Aus, Science Alert and Acid Stag.
“We all believe [Google, Facebook and the ACCC] need to work out a solution that will not see Australian media consumers or small publishers harmed in the worthy pursuit of greater equality in the Australian media landscape,” said the group.
It is outrageous that the federal government is trying to benefit the big news businesses at the expense of the rest.
In no other industry does policy explicitly and deliberately aim to discriminate against small business in order to protect the big end of town.
The ACCC should be ashamed of its role in this.
Are all publishers really worried? Or just those who bet the farm on Facebook?
Any small independent publishers should be concerned with the impacts and effects of the proposed code regardless of whether or not their traffic comes from Facebook. I think the important point they make is that the current proposal has the potential to just further entrench the large traditional media companies and accidentally destroy media diversity in the process.