(Ottawa) The organization chosen by Google to distribute the promised $100 million per year to Canadian news media has released its governance model, which it says focuses on sustainability, fairness and innovation within the industry.
The Canadian Journalism Collective submitted to the CRTC this week the structure of the board of directors that will ultimately oversee the allocation of Google’s funds. This governance framework was made public on Wednesday.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) had requested this information as part of public consultations aimed at implementing the Online News Actwhich requires “web giants” to enter into agreements with Canadian news media for the use of their content.
The collective has had little time to develop the governance framework under the law, which is being closely watched by other countries looking to implement something similar, including the United States.
It will ultimately be up to the CRTC to determine whether the new non-profit organization’s plan meets its expectations. If the governance model is deemed satisfactory, the CRTC will grant Google an exemption from the Online News Act.
This is a crucial step as the journalism industry comes together to ensure that money is distributed fairly, regardless of the business model and vested interests of each individual media outlet.
Another collective, this time led by major news media, was not selected by Google.
Representation of large and small media
The Canadian Journalism Collective says its board of directors will be made up of 19 people: eight members representing publishers, eight members representing broadcasters and three independent members.
Requirements for the 19 positions include ensuring representation from large and small media outlets, emerging businesses, non-profit organizations, and Indigenous, Black and racialized, Francophone and official language minority groups.
The governance model also includes two separate boards, which would make recommendations on behalf of publishers and broadcasters, and an executive committee that would appoint non-voting advisors to the board.
CBC/Radio-Canada, which has a guarantee of up to $7 million from this pot, will be entitled to a seat on the board of directors and the executive committee, but its representative will sit as a non-voting observer.
The collective also plans to appoint an ombudsman to whom the public and the board can voice their concerns, as well as a dispute resolution committee that would have the power to investigate grievances.
“The proposed high-level governance structure aims to implement the law and regulations in a way that promotes sustainability, fairness and innovation in the Canadian information ecosystem,” said Jean La Rose, spokesperson and interim director of the collective’s board of directors, in a statement.
The governance structure will allow each member to have equal representation and will encompass all types of news organizations, small and large, urban and rural, La Rose explained.
Exemption from the law
Google agreed last year to keep news on its search engine and pay Canadian news media $100 million a year, indexed to inflation, to be exempt from the Online Information Act.
Once Google is granted the exemption, the company will have to return the money to the collective within 60 days, which will then elect its board of directors and distribute the money to eligible media outlets.
“Our submission [au CRTC] is the first step in describing how the collective will establish policies and procedures that will meet the objectives and maintain the highest standards of integrity, independence, transparency and accountability,” said Mr. La Rose.
“Our governance structure includes broad and independent roles and leadership to foster trust with the Canadian public.”
This structure would continue to be shaped throughout the consultations conducted by the CRTC and through stakeholder engagement, the collective said.
It also promises to support emerging news media, small markets and innovative business models, while ensuring fairness in the sector.
“As the digital information environment and consumer behaviours evolve, no existing business model should be disproportionately represented at the expense of innovation, sustainability and geographic reach,” states the submission to the CRTC.
The collective was founded in May by an interim group of publishers and broadcasters representing French-language, community and Indigenous news, as well as media that specifically represent Black and underrepresented Canadians.
Chosen for its shared values
Google chose the Canadian Journalism Collective to manage its fund, saying in a blog post last month that its principles were consistent with its own. Those principles include diversity, a strong governance structure, a high level of transparency and ensuring that as much funding as possible goes to news media.
Earlier this year, Google issued an open call for news media outlets interested in receiving compensation under the Online News Actand about 1,500 media outlets requested it.
The collective will eventually review all such requests and distribute the funds to news media that meet the criteria set out in the law and regulations.
The money will be distributed proportionally based on the number of full-time journalists employed by the media companies.