The article highlights the troubling trend of Google deriving substantial profits from local journalism without providing any financial compensation to news organizations. It discusses the decline of print newspapers and newsroom jobs in the U.S., noting that more than 3,200 newspapers have shut down over the last twenty years. Influential lobbying efforts by Google have resulted in insufficient legislative action to protect journalism. The article stresses the urgent need for state lawmakers to require online platforms to pay for the content they utilize, rather than relying on inadequate handouts to support struggling news outlets.
...Google continues undermining local journalism, reaping billions of dollars in windfall profits off the backs of news organizations by lifting our work product without compensation.
The theft fattens Google's bottom line while leading to the financial destruction of desperately needed news outlets. At a time of national disinformation campaigns, as politics trumps truth, reliable news sources are needed more than ever.
Over the past two decades, more than 3,200 print newspapers have closed in the United States. And more than 60% of newsroom jobs have been eliminated.
The answer is to make online platforms pay us for our work product that they use.
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