Journalism academics and union chiefs have united to call on corporations such as Google and Facebook to fund hyperlocal or investigative reporting.
A letter signed by almost 30 lecturers, politicians and trade unionists has accused such corporations of “bleeding the newspaper industry dry” and rallies against “clickbait culture”.
The signatories in the letter to The Guardian, who include National Union of Journalists general secretary Michelle Stanistreet, pictured above left, proposes a 1pc levy n the operations of the largest “digital intermediaries” with the resulting funds redistributed to non-profit ventures with a mandate to produce original local or investigative news reporting.
The letter is also signed by academics including Prof Justin Lewis, head of Cardiff School of Journalism and MPs including Helen Goodman, chair of the all-party NUJ parliamentary group.
It reads: “Digital intermediaries such as Google and Facebook are not only amassing eye-watering profits and paying minimal tax in the UK, they are also bleeding the newspaper industry dry by sucking up advertising revenue.
“As national and local newspapers try to cut their way out of trouble by slashing editorial budgets and shedding staff, journalistic quality is becoming a casualty. Public interest journalism in particular has been hit the hardest as newspapers are lured into a clickbait culture which favours the sensational and the trivial.
“In the light of this, we propose a 1pc levy on the operations of the largest digital intermediaries with the resulting funds redistributed to non-profit ventures with a mandate to produce original local or investigative news reporting.
“This kind of cross-subsidy is what sustained Channel 4 in its formative years. We believe that it is now time for policymakers to address the emergent gaps in the supply of diverse media and to secure the trusted and independent news system that our democracy so desperately needs.
“We are backing an amendment to the digital economy bill currently going through parliament and will continue to press for a news media that places the public interest above those of shareholder and vested interests.”
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I clicked this nonsense, clickbait against clickbait. I wonder how much time and money the NUJ wasted on this. Clickbait is here to stay and will only increase as, guess what, people click the stories, as websites struggle to make sell web ads.
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I really do believe Face and Google are going to fund hyperlocal or investigative reporting. For the record, I also believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, pixies, elves, England will win the next world cup and that newsprint will be around until the year 2050.
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Interesting idea whilst we are at it why not ask Uber drivers to subsidise black cabs, amazon to prop up high street shops and air b and b to subsidise hotels?
Silly logic to ask companies who are prospering, who take risks and actually develop their products to prop up ones who don’t.
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Sorry, ‘Facebook.’ Tears of laughter were blurring my keypad.
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out of touch?
on another planet?
doesnt undertand the reasons newspapers are failing?
or simply doesnt understand the medium?
i am not sure which one Ms stanistreet is guilty of
“…“As national and local newspapers try to cut their way out of trouble by slashing editorial budgets and shedding staff, journalistic quality is becoming a casualty”
To blame the ills of the uk regional press and its collapsed advertising revenue model,and the dumbing down of its editorial departments on successful sites such as Google and Facebook then expecting them to share their wealth with an industry bled dry by greed,unrealistic working practices and which has failed to react to a rapidly changing market is beyond belief,its worrying that this twaddle is allowed to be communicated.
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A one per cent levy on Google and Facebook – why not impose a similar levy on putting a wigwam on a goose’s bridle?
Makes about as much sense as the lecturers’ wheeze.
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Meanwhile those working in the real world…..
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