What to read this month - a roundup from MediaDev Insider (March 2023)

 from GFMD IMPACT

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

📩 MediaDev Insider is read by over 3,000 leaders in media development and journalism support from around the world. Sign up to join our growing community here.

Check out the full version of the newsletter here.

Here is a monthly roundup of relevant articles and reports from GFMD's newsletter MediaDev Insider.

In this issue: The position and role of journalism in digital spaces

Platform Oversight: A Neglected Link in Internet’s Regulatory Futures (Agustina Del Campo, October 2022)

This article explores the concept of oversight in the legal theory of governance and analyses various regulatory initiatives, including regulation, co-regulation, and self-regulation. The author examines several aspects of these mechanisms, such as their independence, impartiality, competence, and effectiveness.

Platformatization and Media Capture: A Framework for Regulatory Analysis of Media-Related Platform Regulations ( Courtney Radsch, PhD , March 2023) 

This article analyses the challenges of regulating the digital technology sector to support journalism in the era of platformatization. It examines the interdependence between three categories of policy interventions proposed by regulators worldwide to rebalance the dynamics between journalism and online platforms: taxation and subsidies, copyright and licensing, and competition and anti-trust. By examining the theory of change driving each intervention, the benefits to publishers, and the potential for government intervention, this paper explores the risks of capture inherent in different approaches.

Study on the impact of recent developments in digital advertising on privacy, publishers and advertisers (European Commission, January 2023) 

This study has collated evidence that on balance indicates a strong case to reform digital advertising. It indicates that the status quo is unsustainable for individuals, publishers, and advertisers. Digital advertising that relies on the collection of personal data, tracking and massive-scale profiling can have unintended consequences on data protection rights, security, democracy and the environment.

Google and Facebook pledged millions for local news. Was it enough? (Jun. 2021)

Facing regulatory and political pressure, Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google recently committed a combined $600 million to support news outlets globally. But several media analysts and news business executives told Reuters that the funding - set to last three years - does not nearly compensate for the tens of billions of dollars publishers lost as the tech companies gobbled up the digital advertising market.

Platforms don’t owe publishers a living. But they do owe them compensation. Here’s why (Mar. 2023) 

There’s been a great deal of discussion over the past few years about the pros and cons of various acts from countries like Australia, Canada and the UK designed to give publishers negotiating power against tech giants like Google and Facebook. The Public Interest News Foundation 's Jonathan Heawood explains why the tech giants should be compensating publishers, and which models would work.

Have the Justices Gotten Cold Feet About ‘Breaking the Internet’? (February 2023) 

The article by Lawfare discusses whether the recent decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States indicate that the justices have become hesitant to address the difficult issues related to regulating the internet. The author argues that the Court's reluctance to weigh in on these matters could have significant consequences, particularly given the increasing influence of online platforms in public discourse and commerce. 

Regulation of online political advertising in Europe and potential threats to freedom of expression (March 2023) 

A proposal for a new European Union regulation that would harmonise rules at the Member State level regarding transparency of political advertising is currently in the final phases of discussion. Joan Barata, a Senior Legal Fellow at Justitia Future of Free Speech project, discusses here the concerns that the proposed regulation poses for freedom of expression.

Consistent regulatory and self-regulatory mechanisms for media freedom in the Digital Single Market. The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) as meta-regulation (July 2022)

This paper by  Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies  discusses how technology convergence is affecting the regulatory landscape of media freedom and media pluralism in Europe and draws relevant policy recommendations on its future development in light of the forthcoming proposal for a European Media Freedom Act.

The Supreme Court Takes up Section 230 (October 2022)

On this episode of Moderated content, Evelyn Douek spoke with Daphne Keller, the director of the Program on Platform Regulation at Stanford's Cyber Policy Center. They dig into two Supreme Court two cases concerning the scope of platform liability that could define the future of content moderation.

📩 Check out the full version of the newsletter here to find out more about GFMD's reflections from the recent Internet for Trust conference as well as updates on the ongoing discussions surrounding the EMFA and other significant regulatory initiatives.