By Canadian Press

Google sends funds to journalism collective in exchange for Online News Act exemption

Jan 3, 2025 | 9:14 AM

Google has sent the $100 million it agreed to pay Canadian news outlets in exchange for an exemption from the Online News Act to a journalism organization designed to disperse the funds.

The U.S. tech giant confirmed it has transferred the money to the Canadian Journalism Collective, a federally incorporated non-profit organization led by independent publishers and broadcasters.

The collective said in mid-December that it was working to distribute the first tranche of funds by the end of January to media businesses whose work was shared or repurposed by Google.

It estimated eligible publishers will receive about $13,798 per full-time equivalent journalist it employs based on a 200-hour year. Broadcasters will receive about $6,806 per eligible worker.

The collective did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Google agreed to pay the money in 2023 to exempt it from the Online News Act, which compelled the company and Meta to pay for their use of journalism. Meta has avoided having to make any payments by blocking access to Canadian news on its platforms.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2025.

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press