DMCCA 2024
Coalition Submission
Fair value for the news that built their AI.
The Independent Media Association is preparing to negotiate directly with Google, Apple and Meta under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 — for a settlement that keeps independent journalism alive.
Independent news is on the edge.
Democratic societies depend on reliable information. Yet the forces threatening it are accelerating simultaneously: AI, platform dynamics and weaponised disinformation are on the rise. Information integrity is now recognised as one of the leading global risks to world order — and here in the UK, the Southport, Epsom, Epping and Belfast riots showed how quickly falsehoods about a single tragedy can transform into national upheaval, threatening our cohesion and security.
Where strong independent local media exists, people are more community-orientated, more likely to organise and vote, more willing to fight corruption and polarisation, and better equipped to face upheaval — disasters, riots, pandemics. But as income migrates to tech monopolies, local news faces an existential threat. Hundreds of titles have closed and thousands of jobs have been lost over the decade, while much of the independent sector is now buoyed by volunteerism rather than sustainable revenue.
This project tackles that financial instability, and the perverse incentive structure for misinformation, by securing fair value, algorithmic transparency, and prioritisation of regulated journalism.
— Collective Bargaining Project, Theory of Change
What our plan is
Form a coalition to negotiate directly with major AI technology companies under the framework provided by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The coalition is seeking a settlement of up to £100 million annually — enough to sustain the entire independent news sector into the next decade and beyond — alongside additional support, access and regulatory protections for publishers.
Our work prioritises news publishers in this transformative economic redistribution, advocating for a share of revenue that reflects the value of UK media content used by LLMs and on digital platforms.
We are changing the law, not asking for permission.
Platform refusal to negotiate — followed by bad-faith negotiation and dilatory tactics from Strategic Market Status companies.
Leveraging the DMCCA and Competition and Markets Authority powers over tech organisations with Strategic Market Status designation, under which they are obliged to engage and negotiate fairly — backed by legal and professional support in preparing a final-offer and collective submission strategy.
What a settlement actually changes.
Financial settlement — £10–100 million annually
Negotiate a substantial financial settlement from Strategic Market Status AI companies to directly sustain independent ethical publishing for the next decade and beyond.
Supports core operations, innovation and reporting — reducing dependency on platforms and philanthropy and ensuring the long-term viability of the UK media sector.
Algorithm access
Gain direct and ongoing access to platform algorithms, including technical support from platform staff and comprehensive documentation on how algorithms impact content ranking, distribution and visibility.
Empowers publishers to optimise content strategy, maintain traffic and reduce the impact of sudden algorithmic shifts on revenue.
Prominence
Advocate for algorithmic changes that prioritise authentic and original news media over misinformation and fake news.
Gives high-quality, fact-checked journalism greater prominence — improving reach, audience and revenue while disincentivising bad information.
Novel research & best practice
Produce novel economic research using previously inaccessible data, and create guides and bargaining baselines for other sectors and regions.
Builds a foundation for sector-wide change, supporting federated media worldwide to achieve fair use in other jurisdictions.
Now. If. Then.
We are on the verge of sector failure for independent news. Acting now ensures there is an information ecosystem left to protect from being irredeemably polluted by the predations of monopoly platforms.
A unified coalition of UK publishers secures legal representation and collective bargaining rights under the Digital Markets Act…
It can negotiate binding platform commitments on fair value and algorithmic transparency.
There has never been a better time to support independent media.