News fund coalition open to expansion

Small collective invites larger firms to help it dole out Google money

- RAISA PATEL

In early June, Google chose a small group of independent news outlets to oversee its $100-million annual media fund, prompting backlash from large and legacy news organizations, along with the union that represents some of their workers.

A coalition of independent news groups chosen by Google to administer a $100-million fund says it hopes to join forces with some of the country's largest media outlets, as it faces concerns over how it will dole out the money.

Earlier this month, Google chose a small group of independent news businesses to oversee a $100-million annual fund the search giant had promised to create for the country's beleaguered journalism sector, in an effort to comply with a Liberal law passed last year.

That decision prompted backlash from the rival group of large and legacy news organizations the tech titan didn't pick, along with the union that represents some of their workers.

"Unifor wants to ensure that the $100 million annually is spent supporting our communities and our newsrooms by putting Canadian journalists on the ground to tell our stories and uphold democracy," Unifor President Lana Payne said in a statement.

"This is an integral step to saving local news."

The rejected group argued, among other concerns, that it represented the vast majority of news outlets in Canada, and expressed concern that the smaller group, known as the Canadian Journalism Collective (CJC), could prioritize its own interests instead of those of the industry at large.

But on Tuesday, the CJC told the Star it hopes to change the makeup of its collective, a move that could see organizations from the competing group added to its ranks.