KUALA LUMPUR: Media experts have urged the government to look into a new law and formulate a mechanism to compel technology giants such as Google and Meta to pay local media houses for news content.
Speaking to Utusan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Centre for Communications and Media Studies senior lecturer Mohd Amirul Akhbar Mohd Zulkifli said the government should also be clear and consistent to ensure its implementation.
“This is especially since the media industry — both locally and internationally — is struggling to stay afloat.” said Mohd Amirul.
He said, apart from the new legislation, the government should also tax search engine platforms as an effective way to help the media industry generate income.
“This new law will help us see how transnational companies have crossed their limits,” he was quoted in a Malay daily today.
Mohd Amirul said the taxation policy must also be clear to ensure its smooth operations.
However, he said, there might be long-term implications if the companies refuse to pay for the content of local media houses, which may cause a backlash towards the government.
“What is their support for our government and media companies? There will not be any problems if they support and want to help us. Are we ready to play a role as an active player in the system?” he questioned.
At the National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) 2023 celebration in Ipoh on Sunday, the government — through the Communications and Digital Ministry — urged the local media industry for insights on how they could recover advertising revenue appropriated by the international tech giants.
UiTM’s Centre for Information and Media Warfare Studies fellow, Dr Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin said the country and local media companies could stand to gain huge profits through the payment and taxation for news content.
He, however, did not give a projection on the potential income, and said the first step was for the government to present the bill in Parliament.
“The government must implement this because this involves money. But we must look at what goes into the bill first before we know what the best mechanism will be.
“I am confident that it can generate huge profits as we move towards going digital,” he said.
kredit: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/05/914996/media-experts-urge-govt-consider-making-google-meta-pay-news-content
