国产诱惑福利

It followed a surprise announcement by New Zealand鈥檚 government in July that lawmakers would advance a bill forcing tech platforms to strike deals for sharing revenue generated from news content with the media outlets producing it.

The government, led by center-right National, had opposed the law in 2023 when introduced by the previous administration.

But the loss of more than 200 newsroom jobs earlier this year 鈥� in a national media industry that totaled 1,600 reporters at the 2018 census and has likely shrunk since 鈥� prompted the current government to reconsider forcing tech companies to pay publishers for displaying content.

The law aims to stanch the flow offshore of advertising revenue derived from New Zealand news products.

Google New Zealand Country Director Caroline Rainsford wrote Friday that the firm would change its involvement in the country鈥檚 media landscape if it passed.

鈥淪pecifically, we鈥檇 be forced to stop linking to news content on Google Search, Google News, or Discover surfaces in New Zealand and discontinue our current commercial agreements and ecosystem support with New Zealand news publishers,鈥� she wrote.

Google鈥檚 licensing program in New Zealand contributed 鈥渕illions of dollars per year to almost 50 local publications,鈥� she added.

The News Publishers鈥� Association, a New Zealand sector group, said in a written statement Friday that Google鈥檚 pledge amounted to 鈥渢hreats鈥� and reflected 鈥渢he kind of pressure that it has been applying鈥� to the government and news outlets, Public Affairs Director Andrew Holden said.

The government 鈥渟hould be able to make laws to strengthen democracy in this country without being subjected to this kind of corporate bullying,鈥� he said.

Australia was 鈥� including Google and Meta 鈥� to the bargaining table with news outlets through a law passed in 2021. At first, the tech giants imposed news blackouts for Australians on their platforms, but both eventually somewhat relented, striking deals reportedly worth 200 million Australian dollars ($137 million) a year, paid to Australian outlets for use of their content.

But Belinda Barnet, a media expert at Swinburne University in Melbourne, said Meta has refused to renew its contracts with Australian news media while Google is renegotiating its initial agreements.

As Canada prepared to pass similar digital news bargaining laws in 2023, Google and Meta again vowed to cease their support for the country鈥檚 media. Last November, however, ($74 million) 鈥� indexed to inflation 鈥� in financial support annually for news businesses across the country.

Colin Peacock, an analyst who hosts the Mediawatch program on RNZ, New Zealand鈥檚 public radio broadcaster, said Google 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 want headlines around the world that say another country has pushed back鈥� by enacting such a law.

While Google pointed Friday to its support of local outlets, Peacock said one of its funding recipients 鈥� the publisher of a small newspaper 鈥� had told a parliamentary committee this year that the amount he received was 鈥渁 pittance鈥� and not enough to hire a single graduate reporter.

Minister for Media and Communications Paul Goldsmith told The Associated Press in a written statement on Friday that he was still consulting on the next version of the bill.

鈥淢y officials and I have met with Google on a number of occasions to discuss their concerns, and will continue to do so,鈥� he said.

Goldsmith said in July that he planned to pass the law by the end of the year.

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Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk contributed reporting from Melbourne, Australia.