Media Guild of the West pledges to serve as press watchdog for public-private Google newsroom deal

With the approval of state legislation creating a $20 million public-private partnership with Google to fund local newsrooms, Media Guild of the West pledges to push for accountability in the use of the funds and is ready to serve as a watchdog for press independence and transparency.

Faltering news revenue — exacerbated by the concentrated power of tech platforms that have unfairly undercut news publishers in the advertising marketplace — have led to a steep drop in newsroom employment and resulted in an escalating cycle of labor disputes with publishers.

As a result, the Guild has supported a broad range of commercial and noncommercial policy discussions to address this journalism crisis, while making clear such efforts must maintain public confidence that such policy interventions are being undertaken in pursuit of the public good and not political favoritism or private gain.

Along with our fellow journalist membership organizations in California, Media Guild of the West opposed closed door changes to the public-private partnership with Google that let big tech off the financial hook.

However, with the program now a reality and Media Guild of the West the sole representative for journalists on the program’s advisory board, we commit to acting on behalf of the working press to push for accountability in making sure the funding serves the public interest and supports the protection or creation of journalism jobs.

—30—

Media Guild of the West is a local union of The NewsGuild-CWA, representing roughly 700 journalists and news workers at the L.A. Times, Arizona Republic, Dallas Morning News, and other outlets across Southern California, Arizona and Texas.