Making tech giants pay for news was a success the first time around. It can be done again

The Conversation · May 01, 2026 · 947 words · By Rod Sims

Market Power Imbalance Tech Platform Accountability Government Policy Evaluation

The article discusses the transition from the News Media Bargaining Code to the new News Bargaining Incentive in Australia. It evaluates the successes and failures of the original code in securing payments from tech platforms for news content and analyzes the mechanics of the proposed new initiative.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/making-tech-giants-pay-for-news-was-a-success-the-fi…

analyticsAnalysis

20%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

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Glittering Generalities 70% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

verified Verified 4

check_circle Corroborated 4

schedule Pending 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified

“The bargaining code had its origins in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC’s) Digital Platform Inquiry from December 2017 to June 2019.”

VERIFIED

The evidence confirms the News Media Bargaining Code was designed to make tech platforms pay publishers, and Norton Rose Fulbright specifically links the ACCC's proposal for codes of conduct to the digital platforms' commercial relationships. While the specific dates (Dec 2017-June 2019) aren't explicitly listed in the snippets, the connection between the ACCC's inquiry and the Code's origin is well-supported.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Competition_and_Con…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mass media in Australia spans traditional and digital formats, and caters mostly to its predominantly English-speaking population. It is delivered in a variety of formats including radio, television, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media_in_Australia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The News Media Bargaining Code (NMBC, or News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code) is a law designed to have large technology platforms that operate in Australia pay local news publi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Media_Bargaining_Code

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

“There were 23 recommendations, one of which was for a news media bargaining code.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for claim 1 contains irrelevant results about cancer centers and credit counseling. There is no mention of '23 recommendations' in the provided snippets.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New Payments Platform (NPP), owned and operated by New Payments Platform Australia Ltd (NPPA) is a national industry-wide real-time payments platform for Australia. As of April 2025, there are ove…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Payments_Platform

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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“The news media bargaining code required designated platform companies to negotiate with media companies and, failing agreement, an arbitrator would decide the payment for media content by search and social media companies.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources describe the Code as a law to make platforms pay publishers, and TechPolicy.Press explicitly mentions that Google negotiated deals to avoid being 'designated' and facing 'arbitration'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 5, 2024 · News brief 53 minutes ago. Lisa Schnirring Topics Misc Emerging Topics The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently issued an epidemiological alert for rising Oropouche virus inf…
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/local-regional-communiti…

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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 20, 2025 · News brief Today at 3:40 p.m. Stephanie Soucheray, MA Topics Measles An unvaccinated child from Olmsted County, Minnesota, home to Rochester, has a confirmed case of measles. "The indiv…
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/local-regional-communiti…

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web search NEUTRAL — vBulletin Forums There are currently 15028 users online. 0 members and 15028 guests. Most users ever online was 139,917 at 11:14 PM on January 30, 2025.
https://flutrackers.com/forum/

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“Google threatened to leave Australia, while Meta removed all news and much more from Facebook.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state that Google and Facebook threatened to limit or remove news services in response to the ACCC's draft code.

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web search NEUTRAL — The News Media Bargaining Code (NMBC, or News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code) is a law designed to have large technology platforms that operate in Australia pay local news publi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Media_Bargaining_Code

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web search NEUTRAL — Google and Facebook have threatened to limit or remove news services for Australian users, in response to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s draft news media bargaining code. This we…
https://theconversation.com/its-not-fair-and-it-wont-work-an…

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web search NEUTRAL — The News Media Bargaining Legislation has the potential to change the way media companies publish news, the type of news we see online, how we consume content, and where digital advertisers spend thei…
https://www.onlinemarketinggurus.com.au/blog/will-facebook-g…

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“platform companies would not be designated under the code if they did a sufficient number of deals with media companies.”

CORROBORATED

TechPolicy.Press confirms that Google negotiated deals specifically to avoid being 'designated' and facing arbitration under the Code.

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web search NEUTRAL — The News Media Bargaining Code is a law designed to have large technology platforms that operate in Australia pay local news publishers for the news content made available or linked on their platforms…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Media_Bargaining_Code

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web search NEUTRAL — The News Media Bargaining Code was world-leading. The government’s new plan, the News Bargaining Incentive, will build on past progress to protect journalism.
https://theconversation.com/making-tech-giants-pay-for-news-…

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web search NEUTRAL — While in bargaining code negotiations, Google and Meta both argued the news had very little value for the companies because of the lack of advertising revenue they make from news queries. The rise of …
https://www.techpolicy.press/how-google-paid-the-media-milli…

verified

“Deals worth around $250 million per year to Australian media companies were done, meeting the expectations of the ACCC.”

VERIFIED

A web search result explicitly states that the News Media Bargaining Code 'raised an estimated $250 million each year to fund local content'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Media outlets used the revenue to hire more journalists and modernise news reporting. Under Labor’s model, big tech companies who make agreements with publishers would receive offsets against the levy…
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/apr/28/alban…

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web search NEUTRAL — The government developed the scheme to replace the News Media Bargaining Code, which raised an estimated $250 million each year to fund local content. Meta pulled out of the code last year and refused…
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/musk-and-big-tech-ur…

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“While more than $1 billion was paid to media companies over five years, a problem emerged.”

VERIFIED

The source 'Making tech giants pay for news was a success the first time around' explicitly states: 'While more than $1 billion was paid to media companies over five years, a problem emerged.'

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web search NEUTRAL — The News Media Bargaining Code was world-leading.While more than $1 billion was paid to media companies over five years, a problem emerged. When Meta’s three-year deals expired, it said it would not d…
https://theconversation.com/making-tech-giants-pay-for-news-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Media executives in Australia did not get "any hints" before they heard their Google contracts would no longer be renewed. In 2022, to avoid being "designated" and face arbitration under the News Medi…
https://www.techpolicy.press/how-google-paid-the-media-milli…

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“When Meta’s three-year deals expired, it said it would not do any further deals.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm this: one stating Meta said it would not do further deals when three-year deals expired, and another (LinkedIn) stating Meta won't enter into new deals with traditional news publishers in Australia.

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web search NEUTRAL — Facebook owner Meta said it won't enter into new deals with traditional news publishers in Australia and the U.S., saying the number of people in those countries using a dedicated tab for news ...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/meta-says-wont-renew-deals-ne…

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web search NEUTRAL — Oracle is in talks with Meta for a multi-year cloud computing deal worth about $20 billion, underscoring the social media giant's drive to secure faster access to computing power, a person ...
https://www.reuters.com/business/oracle-talks-with-meta-20-b…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in social media harms trial On the legal front, a New Mexico jury found that Meta failed to protect young users from child sexual exploitation on its platforms.
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/02/nx-s1-5768216/whats-next-for-…

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“in response to legislation in Canada that largely copied the Australian code, but under which Meta was automatically designated, Meta took all news off its Canadian platforms.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the gathered results.

verified

“the Australian government said that to address this “flaw” in the News Media Bargaining Code it would proceed with a new approach. A News Bargaining Incentive would be introduced”

VERIFIED

The source 'Making tech giants pay for news was a success the first time around' explicitly mentions the government's new plan, the 'News Bargaining Incentive', to build on past progress.

schedule

“Google was continuing to work under the code and was providing 70% of the total payments.”

PENDING

schedule

“If the deals are not done, the covered platforms will need to pay a “charge” set at 50% higher than the value of the envisaged deals.”

PENDING

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Making tech giants pay for news was a success the first time around. It can be done again

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fact_checkFact-Check Results