Google’s news deserts, a threat governments must heed

In 2021, Australia’s stand against Google and Meta’s profiting from the monopolization of news ad revenue paid off. The tech giants were forced to pay for news after multiple bullying attempts that went as far as wiping out all Australian news links from platforms, leaving Facebook pages of the country’s biggest media companies’ blank and sinking news website traffic. Australia passed the Fletcher and Frydenberg “news media bargaining code” under the logical premise that their country’s news industry should be compensated fairly for helping these tech monopolies attract traffic by replicating ordinary commercial dealings that would occur in a fair market which does not tip the bargaining power far to one side.

Decades after the news industry in its entirety took the plunge, knowing full well that their demise loomed large, into the digital realm it is now seeing its one concern being addressed on a governmental level in the form of a non-compromising stance on behalf of a country’s greatest asset, its press. Some will argue that it has come far too late for in the meantime the world witnessed thousands of smaller, independent news outlets and publications meet their demise as they struggled to stay afloat amidst the changing trends and the downfall of ad revenues. It has taken its fair share of greats from the industry but there might just be some hope for the rest. Google and its parent company Alphabet have monopolized the market of advertising technology tools that publishers and advertisers use and as it pushed competing ad exchangers like Microsoft and Yahoo out, causing ad space to sell for half its price, it was also developing news aggregators that steered news traffic away from news websites. As one critic put it, Google has become “a referee who is also playing the game”.

This David and Goliath situation has left the news world defenceless against regular tech updates that impact reader and viewership which news companies scramble to fulfil only to be rendered useless by the time a new update rolls in. These updates are not only costly, they also require adherence to certain keywords and trending topics which news agencies and publications in search of revenue must choose over subjects of national importance. This does not only strip the industry of its professionalism, it also stifles its integrity and twists its arm into succumbing to the news trajectory of the algorithm. One could argue that the news organization could choose not to follow the tech companies’ measures, but it is not a choice when one of the options is detrimental to the survival of the entity.

Hundreds of news agencies and publications have sued Google in the past but have not succeeded against this conglomerate that has since bulked up its legal team with the hiring of five former US Department of Justice employees in preparation for what may come. This is where it becomes the responsibility of the government to take up this fight for survival on behalf of its news organizations. Governments understand that the huge financial burden on traditional media to transition and sustain itself in such a hostile environment controlled by big tech needs supportive regulation to be achieved. A news enterprise is more than a business, it is a responsibility and a powerful arm of defence against misinformation. Media wars are raging now more than ever and the only way for a government to win this war is by protecting and preserving a country’s local media enterprises.

The United Kingdom, France, Canada and the United States are all preparing to go ahead with their versions of Australia’s ‘news media bargaining code’ and so should the rest of the world. The United Arab Emirates is a shining example of an Arab nation which has embraced and nurtured the media since the early years of its inception. It has created media cities that house hundreds of media organizations from all over the world but the ones that must matter the most are its national news outlets and publications because they are the true voice of the people. These outlets have for decades brought forth what is of importance for the UAE citizen and concerned itself with the matters that are of grave necessity for the nation’s progress. They are the shining symbols of modernity and freedom of press that have been created by and for this country. These publications have taken it upon themselves to fight for this land and be a form of defence against misinformed attacks and have reinforced and raised the flag in support of all the country’s great accomplishments. The UAE government would be well-advised to join in this pioneering fight against the inevitable eradication of its home-grown news organizations.

The world has awakened to the harmful nature of news monopoly and therefore all governments should make it a priority to seek by all means necessary to keep diversity alive because without it there will be no insurance for accountability. Australia has set a positive precedent, and the rest of the world’s governments must follow suit or else they risk becoming news deserts made up of communities that no longer have local newspapers, solely relying on coverage governed by international agendas and biased accounts.