Group in charge of Google’s $100M for news outlets lays out its governance model

globalnews.ca:

The group Google asked to distribute $100 million to news outlets in Canada has publicly released its governance model, which it says focuses on sustainability, equity and innovation within the industry.

The Canadian Journalism Collective submitted plans to Canada’s broadcasting regulator this week outlining the structure of the board that will ultimately oversee the funds. That submission was made public on Wednesday.

The Canada Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requested the information as part of the public consultations to enforce the Online News Act, which compels tech companies to enter into agreements with news publishers for the use of their content.

The collective has had limited time to develop this novel framework under a law that is being closely watched by other countries that want to implement something similar, including the United States.

It will ultimately be up to the CRTC to determine if the collective’s plan meets its expectations. If the governance model is satisfactory, then the CRTC will grant Google an exemption from the law.

This is a pivotal step as the journalism industry comes together to ensure the money is distributed equally, regardless of the business model or self-interest of any individual media outlet.

The CJC says its board will be compromised of 19 directors, including eight members representing publishers, eight members representing broadcasters and three independent members.

Requirements for the 19 positions include ensuring there is representation from large and small media outlets, startups, non-profit outlets and Indigenous, Black, racialized, francophone and official language minority groups.

The governance model also includes two separate councils, which would