Country Press Australia (CPA) has issued a statement expressing support for the News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) but has warned that proposals to top-slice collected funds into a grant system could dilute its purpose.
“It could make the NBI look less like a bargaining incentive and more like a revenue-raising mechanism followed by government redistribution,” said the CPA.
“The survival of regional and independent journalism is too important for the NBI to be diluted or redirected.”
The CPA warned that grant allocation could create a situation in which NBI money flowed away from journalism professionals and into organisations that did not meet the same standards, obligations or employment commitments as professional news publishers.
“Regional, rural and independent publishers have been among the most exposed to the market power of global digital platforms,” said the CPA.
The CPA said if the government wished to support emerging publishers, it should do so through separate funding.
“If government wishes to support news deserts, emerging publishers, community media, multicultural media or underrepresented voices through grants, that should be done through a separate program and a separate appropriation, such as the News Media Assistance Program.
“It should not be funded by carving money out of the NBI.
“The scheme must remain focused on its original purpose, requiring the global platforms that benefit from Australia’s news ecosystem to support the professional publishers and journalists who sustain it.”
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