New laws to make tech companies pay for news will help, but there are 4 key problems

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Aug 13, 2026 · 966 words · By Caroline Fisher; Sora Park

Big Tech Regulation Media Sustainability Public Interest Journalism

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What to know about Big Tech Regulation

The article discusses the Australian government's News Bargaining Incentive legislation, which requires large tech companies to pay news publishers for their content. It outlines the mechanics of the legislation and presents four primary criticisms from the news industry regarding funding pools, expenditure rules, eligibility thresholds, and the exclusion of AI companies.

Propaganda risk 20%

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left17%

Center66%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The government has finally tabled its News Bargaining Incentive legislation to make big tech companies pay for the Australian journalism they use on their platforms.

Why it matters

The government developed these laws to fix a problem with the original News Media Bargaining Code introduced under the Morrison government.

Common ground

While the code generated between $200 million and $250 million a year through deals struck with Meta and Google, it allowed them to stop making deals with news companies by not carrying news on their platform.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Big Tech Regulation story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Funding to news publishers will be decided by a weighting formula based on the number of full-time equivalent journalists in each organisation?
How does this story connect Big Tech Regulation with Media Sustainability over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/new-laws-to-make-tech-companies-pay-for-news-will-he…

analyticsAnalysis

20%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

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

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 3

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “Funding to news publishers will be decided by a weighting formula based on the number of full-time equivalent journalists in each organisation.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that funding is determined by a formula based on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) journalists.

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web search NEUTRAL — Funding to news publishers will be decided by a weighting formula based on the number of full-time equivalent journalists in each organisation.
https://theconversation.com/new-laws-to-make-tech-companies-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Under a distribution formula based on full-time equivalent journalists, applied to a register of fewer than a hundred businesses, the same four organisations would absorb the substantial majority of a…
https://advertise.manofmany.com/blog/news-bargaining-incenti…

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web search NEUTRAL — Payments will be calculated primarily according to the number of journalists employed by an eligible news organisation, including freelancers. Eligible roles include journalists, photojournalists, vid…
https://mumbrella.com.au/news-bargaining-incentive-finally-i…

info

Claim 2: “To encourage deals, the charge is offset by 150%, and this increases to 200% if the deal is with small or medium-sized businesses.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific offset percentages (150% general, 200% for small/medium businesses) are mentioned in one relevant source. Other search results for these numbers are unrelated (e.g., gaming or weather).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Major League Baseball draft took place on July 13–14, 2025, in Cumberland, Georgia. The draft assigns amateur baseball players from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico to Major League …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Major_League_Baseball_dra…

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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

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Plea bargaining in the United States is very common; the vast majority of criminal cases in the United States are settled by plea bargain rather than by a jury trial. They have also been increasing in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plea_bargaining_in_the_United_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 3: “Of the charge funds, 10% will be set aside for grants, including 5% to fund AAP (Australian Associated Press) in recognition of its public-interest role, and a further 5% for small organisations that are not eligible for funding from deals under this scheme.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of unrelated search results (TFN applications, visas, and job recruiters) and does not mention the 10% grant allocation or AAP.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — How Australian residents can apply for a tax file number (TFN).Some of the information on this website applies to a specific financial year. This is clearly marked. Make sure you have the information …
https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/tax-file-num…

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web search NEUTRAL — Fees and charges for visas. Check twice submit once.Allows the partner or spouse of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen to live in Australia. You apply…
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-li…

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web search NEUTRAL — Good questions to ask a recruiter from Grant Street Group at a local job fair?
https://app.joinhandshake.com/

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Claim 4: “The government has finally tabled its News Bargaining Incentive legislation to make big tech companies pay for the Australian journalism they use on their platforms.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that the Australian government has introduced/tabled the News Bargaining Incentive legislation to force tech companies to pay for news.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Major League Baseball Draft took place on July 14–16, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The first six selections we…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Major_League_Baseball_dra…

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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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+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 5: “the maximum share of expenditure per news business is 25%”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

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Claim 6: “the government wants large social media and search companies with an annual digital advertising revenue of more than $250 million in Australia... to enter deals with at least eight eligible Australian news businesses.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the $250 million annual digital advertising revenue threshold for companies to be subject to the News Bargaining Incentive.

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 7: “The government chose not to include AI companies in the scheme.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “If they fail to strike enough deals, they will be forced to pay a charge: 2.5% of their Australian digital advertising revenue.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that companies failing to strike deals will be forced to pay a charge of 2.5% of their Australian advertising revenue.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Peter Cramton is an American economist and academic. He is professor of economics at the University of Maryland, Emeritus since 2018, and holds the Market Design Chair in Economics at the University o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Cramton

help

Claim 9: “The minimum number of deals that need to be struck to avoid the charge was doubled from four to eight.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

schedule

Claim 10: “among roughly 200 Local and Independent News Association (LINA) members, 35% earn less than the threshold.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 11: “Revenue collected from the charge will be administered through the News Journalism Payment Scheme.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that revenue from the charge will be administered through the News Journalism Payment Scheme.

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web search NEUTRAL — Revenue collected from the charge will be administered through the News Journalism Payment Scheme. These funds will support the production of core news content in Australia. That means, according to t…
https://theconversation.com/new-laws-to-make-tech-companies-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Apart from the incentive itself, the government has finalised the details of the News Journalism Payment Scheme that will be funded by the charge. The definition of journalists will be broadened to in…
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/big-carrot-more-s…

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web search NEUTRAL — “Trusted news is essential to our democracy. Free TV has long advocated for a mechanism to allow Australian media companies to negotiate fair value for their content.We asked a lawyer to break down wh…
https://www.mediaweek.com.au/news-bargaining-incentive-makes…

info

Claim 12: “the original News Media Bargaining Code introduced under the Morrison government... generated between $200 million and $250 million a year through deals struck with Meta and Google”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific figure of $200 million to $250 million is mentioned in one web search result. Other sources discuss the code generally but do not confirm these specific annual figures.

menu_book

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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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 13: “To be included on the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s register of eligible news businesses you must generate more than $150,000 in annual revenue.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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.