Google To Fund California Newsrooms
Google has made a groundbreaking deal to fund California newsrooms. This agreement comes after a bipartisan bill was proposed to address the decline of local journalism. The tech giant stepped in with an alternative plan that involves both Google and California taxpayers sharing the costs.
The deal sets aside $250 million over five years to support news organizations across the state. This move aims to help struggling newsrooms hit hard by the shift to digital media. Many local papers have shut down or reduced their operations due to falling revenues. The funding seeks to balance the scales, as Google has long benefited from free access to news content online.
Key Takeaways
- Google agreed to fund California newsrooms with $250 million over 5 years
- The deal aims to support struggling local journalism in the digital age
- Some journalists worry the funding may not be enough to make a real difference
Google’s Deal to Fund California News Outlets
Law Plans Get Sidelined
Google made a deal with California to support local news. This happened after lawmakers proposed a bill to make tech companies pay for news content. The bill had support from both major parties. Google and its allies stopped the bill from passing. They offered a different plan instead.
Money Agreement Details
Google will give $250 million over 5 years. The state will also chip in. Google starts with $15 million in the first year. The state adds $30 million. After that, Google will pay more than the state each year. The money will go to help news outlets.
How This Might Change Newspapers
The deal aims to help struggling news outlets. Many papers have closed due to online competition. Google uses news content in searches but doesn’t pay for it. This deal tries to fix that. But some say it’s not enough money to help. It’s about $50 million per year spread across many papers.
Tough Times for Local News
Newspapers face big problems. In the last 20 years, about 2,500 papers closed in the U.S. Many blame the internet. Ad money that used to go to print now goes to websites. Some papers are published less often. Others stopped home delivery in some areas. This makes it hard to give readers fresh news.
What People Think and Worry About
News workers feel left out of the deal talks. They say $250 million isn’t enough to fix newsrooms. Big papers and small ones will all want money, but it’s not clear how it will be shared. Some worry this won’t bring back in-depth local reporting, and the deal might not solve the bigger issues facing newspapers.
