In trying to force a new economic settlement between the news industry and Big Tech, did the Australian government just save journalism — or break it? Facebook, by contrast, resorted to an earlier threat and blocked the sharing of news on its services in the country. Google's decision to reach deals with prominent publishers such as News Corp and Nine has headed off a showdown. The News Corp deal enabled Google to avoid this "horrendous precedent", said Aron Pilhofer, a former head of digital at The Guardian. For news publishers, meanwhile, the sudden end to social sharing fed a distrust that has been growing for a number of years.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 19, 2021 00:19 UTC