[nradov]

If government regulators think we need more paid journalists then they could simply subsidize them, or even hire them directly like the BBC.

[acdha]

Isn’t a tax on aggregators’ ad revenue effectively that? It’s not saying that Google or Facebook can’t make plenty of money, only that they need to share some of their profits with the people whose work allowed them to make that profit in the first place.

[scarface_74]

Okay. If that’s the case, let the newspapers and Google negotiate. We already see who is hurt more when Google walks away

[acdha]

That appears to be in progress, so it looks like regulation is working.

[scarface_74]

You mean forcing Google to pay Rupert Murdoch who pushed for the legislation in Australia?

[footy]

A link tax could be construed as a way to do that, particularly in countries in which these companies operate but do not really pay tax.