Competition Ministers Discuss Tools for Supporting Journalism

Executive Summary

On April 15, 2021, Director Taylor Owen and Professor Anya Schiffrin, Director of the Technology, Media, and Communications specialization at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, led a discussion with Rod Sims, Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and architect of the controversial Australian News Media Code, which requires Google and Facebook to pay for news.

The panel of five global competition ministers, including representatives from Australia, France, Germany, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Canada's lead on the file, asked whether the Code can and should be replicated in other countries, how it should be adapted to ensure it helps independent news rather than just large media houses, and whether there is a danger of capture if Google and Facebook start handing out large amounts of money to journalism outlets around the world.

Co-moderator Anya Schiffrin offers a reflection on the panel and on the ways Australia's decision has shaped or influenced policy conversations about journalism in other national contexts. While some officials, such as those in Canada, have decided to follow Australia's lead to some degree, other countries have taken different approaches to regulating big tech and funding publishers; officials in South Africa, for instance, have noted the importance of international coordination in regulation and competition policy.