Meta Launches Attack on Australia NBI

Is the News Bargaining Incentive a fix for journalism funding or a discriminatory tax punishing innovation?

Published 7 days ago

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Above: Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on May 15. Image credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Digital platforms have profited off Australian journalism for years without paying their fair share — the NBI finally fixes that imbalance. The 2.25% charge will push platforms into commercial deals with news outlets, with every dollar going directly back to journalists, helping develop the sustainable news environment needed for a healthy democracy.

SBS News Prime Minister of Australia

Government-critical narrative

Australia's NBI is a discriminatory tax on foreign companies that punishes innovation with zero connection to actual news value. Worse still, rather than strengthening Australian journalism, it would render it impotent by making it dependent on government subsidies rather than pushing the field to adapt positively to a rapidly changing media landscape.