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Legacy media boss says generative AI is an ‘extinction-level event’

Legacy Mainstream Media news

Legacy media bosses are making submissions on the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill, as they ‘cling on by their fingernails’ claiming the industry is in ‘grave peril’.

Representatives from the country’s largest media companies testified before MPs highlighting the precarious state of the industry and the urgent need for the bill, which aims to create a binding arbitration process for digital platforms like Google and Facebook to negotiate deals with news media companies.

The bill seeks to ensure that tech giants make a ‘fair contribution’ to the sustainable production of news content.

Despite the absence of representatives from Meta and Google at the select committee hearing, both companies made written submissions opposing the legislation.

Broadcasting Minister Melissa Lee, who previously opposed the bill, now signals some openness but insists on modifications before offering her support.

The News Publishers Association, along with its chairperson Stuff CEO Sinead Boucher and other media executives said the media sector was in a critical situation, claiming generative AI posed an ‘extinction level threat to their business and ‘the lack of a level playing field’ with tech giants.

‘Our members asked us to really emphasise the utter urgency of this legislation. They are clinging on by their fingernails. In some cases, they feel like they are really losing that battle in the near future,’ said Boucher.

‘Even if someone never reads a single story that we or other news media here write – they benefit from the impact of good journalism and helping keep our country free of corruption and our societies healthy.’

This is despite the taxpayer subsidising the ailing news organisations through the controversial Public Interest Journalism Fund (PJIF) in recent years.

Similar legislation in Australia and Canada has lead to contributions from tech companies to the news industry in those countries, but the effectiveness and fairness of the proposed bill are the subjects of debate, with concerns about its complexity and the potential use of funds derived from it.

Google hinted at ‘reassessing’ its operations in New Zealand if the bill passes.

A tweet by 1News sharing the story drew a sharp reaction as commenters blamed the legacy media organisations for their own ‘impending demise’.

– The People are the government. The people voted to destroy Main Stream Media!!! We want you gone!!!!!!

– Shut them down. Not needed. Direct to the people on social is way better.

– Your time is nearly up and you did this to yourselves as you took bribes from the previous government. 😀

– Strong arming Facebook backfired spectacularly in Canada… I wouldn’t suggest you try that…

– good

– Maybe media companies should have remained impartial and reported all sides of every story instead of only publishing biased articles funded by the public interest journalist fund. 🤷🏻‍♀️

– Who would have thought alienating at least half of your potential audience would be a bad business model? Here’s a novel idea, give us the facts about an issue from both sides, don’t editorialise and let us make up our own minds?

– Boucher purchased a dying company for $1 the taxpayer has propped up ever since .. time to let is sink.

– Just like all the businesses that were vilified by the media for wanting to stay open during lockdowns, so they could survive – hello karma #knockKnock

– Well, guess that’s what happens when you become propaganda machines…the public will turn on you. Such a shame. lol

– How about, do your job, produce a product that people will voluntarily consume without forcing your editorial bias on your dwindling audience

– Bye bye. Can’t keep up with the future then that’s their fault.

– For anyone confused by this, when they say “news publishers” they mean propagandists.

– ‘News publishers’ 🤣🤣😂😂🤣😂😂. Just make it stop

– Good. You’re the author of your own demise.

– Hope you all go broke👍

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14 COMMENTS

  1. They arent news. They are propaganda. Let them burn. They are propped up by people sharing their propaganda on social media, so I DONT see how google or facebook owe them anything. It should be the other way round, rhey should be paying the big tech companies for spreading their propaganda stories through sharing

  2. ‘Even if someone never reads a single story that we or other news media here write – they benefit from the impact of good journalism and helping keep our country free of corruption and our societies healthy.’

    A cucumber has more self awareness than these people 🤦🏼

    Quite possibly the cringiest statement I’ve ever read.

  3. “they benefit from the impact of good journalism and helping keep our country free of corruption and our societies healthy”

    IF ONLY THAT WERE TRUE…

    No honest balanced journalists doing actual journalism are receiving state funding, or will benefit from this bill as far as I can see.

    The public have made their judgment which is why the legacy media are clinging on by their fingernails despite massive government funding to push certain agendas, in addition to unconscionable amounts of advertising revenue to the same companies.

    What’s the best thing that could happen now for the wellbeing of New Zealand I wonder? Less legacy media-driven division and hate?

  4. Given that most ‘news’ from these entities is propaganda and press releases authored by government and special interests, how does anyone owe the legacy media organisations for copying and publishing it?

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