Facebook and Google's stranglehold over the Australian media market will soon come under the Parliamentary microscope.
The Select Committee on the Future of Public Interest Journalism will be chaired by Labor's Sam Dastyari, with the Greens' Scott Ludlam as deputy. Crossbench powerbroker Nick Xenophon and Jacqui Lambie are also part of the committee.
The committee will examine clickbait, fake news and the power of major technology and advertising companies, such as Google and Facebook, and how they have impacted journalism before it reports in December. The committee will also look at the role of government in ensuring a “viable, independent and diverse service” of journalism.
http://www.afr.com/business/media-and-marketing/publishing/senate-inquiry-into-journalism-to-shine-spotlight-on-facebook-and-google-20170510-gw1t5p
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Fake news, click-bait articles to be scrutinised by Senate inquiry
The impact of fake news and “click-bait” articles will be scrutinised by a Senate inquiry that will compel Australia’s public broadcaster the ABC, Google, Facebook and the major mastheads to give evidence.
The inquiry, which passed a vote in the Senate on Wednesday, will look at the state of public interest journalism in Australia and around the world.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/05/10/fake-news-click-bait-articles-be-scrutinised-senate-inquiry
Fairfax 'disaster' and fake news to dominate Senate inquiry examining 'Australian media in crisis'
Fake news, Facebook and Fairfax are set to dominate discussions of a powerful new Senate committee looking at the future of journalism in Australia.
Labor, the Greens, the Nick Xenophon Team and some of the Senate cross bench banded together to instigate the Select Committee inquiry the same day Fairfax journalists returned to work after a week-long strike.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-10/fairfax-disaster-and-fake-news-set-to-dominat-senate-inquiry/8515198