SECOND TAKE
THE MERCURY NEWS: Facebook and Google owe news companies
Mark Zuckerberg fails to recognise his journalistic obligation to the public
Facebook and Google should pay media companies for the news content that appears on their platforms. And the tech industry should acknowledge that Facebook’s ham-fisted attempt to “unfriend” Australia proves that social media companies have too much power over news content distribution. If the tech community won’t clean up its act, nations around the world eventually will.
Facebook plays a central role in how news and information is consumed around the world. Research firm Statista reports that 52% of Australians get their news from social media. And Pew research surveys reveal that 44% of Americans now use Facebook as their primary source of news. CEO Mark Zuckerberg maintains that news distribution is a small part of his company’s business, as if that’s an excuse for ignoring Facebook’s basic responsibilities as a big player in the media universe...
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