(Ottawa) Google announced Friday that it had chosen an organization to distribute the 100 million that the technology giant promised to Canadian media.
The Canadian Journalism Collective (CJC) will ensure that eligible news organizations receive their share of the money.
This collective is a federal non-profit organization created for this purpose and founded by a group of independent publishers and broadcasters.
The steering committee is made up of 12 independent media outlets that represent French-language, community and Indigenous news, as well as publications that specifically represent people from minorities.
Some of these organizations include Pivot, The Resolve, IndigiNews, Village Media and the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations.
Google agreed to pay Canadian news publishers $100 million a year, indexed for inflation, to be exempt from the online news law, which requires tech companies to enter into agreements with news publishers. news.
The CJC is committed to distributing the money in a “fair, transparent and inclusive manner,” Sadia Zaman, independent director of the collective’s board, said in a statement.
“We look forward to working with the full diversity of the Canadian information ecosystem, including traditional print and broadcast organizations, as well as independent local publishers, including those serving Indigenous, Black and racialized communities as well as Francophone communities. »
The committee plans to establish its governance structure in the coming weeks.
It’s unclear when news organizations will get their share of the pie.
The payment is conditional on Google officially receiving an exemption from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
“We hope the next steps will be taken as quickly as possible so that Canadian publishers and journalists can soon begin receiving the benefits of this new contribution model,” Google said Friday on its website.
The multinational also announced that it would cease operating its Google News Showcase program in Canada by the end of the year, as the transition to a new funding model begins.
“Tech giants will do their fair share”
Earlier this year, Google put out a call for news organizations interested in receiving compensation under the Online News Act, and around 1,500 of them raised their hands.
The collective will review all news publishers who responded to the call and distribute funds to those who meet the criteria.
To receive a share of this windfall, companies must be designated as qualified Canadian journalism organizations under the Income Tax Act. They must also produce news content of public interest, be active in Canada and employ at least two journalists.
The money will be paid in proportion to the number of full-time journalists employed. Smaller print and digital media outlets can expect to receive around $17,000 per journalist they employ, according to a Canadian Heritage Department official.
The Liberal government has already capped the amount of money the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and other broadcasters can receive.
CBC/Radio-Canada will not get more than 7 million and a maximum amount of 30 million will be reserved for other television broadcasters.
The remaining $63 million will be shared among other eligible media, such as newspapers and digital platforms.
“The technology giants will do their fair share, nothing more,” said the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pascale St-Onge, in a press release. Canadians expect a media landscape where they can get the facts when they need them. »