Calls for policy makers to require large technology firms to take a larger role in financing journalism are growing louder. According to the Funke Media Group, more supporters from both the media industry and politics are backing a proposal by Funke publisher Julia Becker. Among them is Jan Ippen, founder and managing director of Ippen Digital GmbH, who argues that journalism is the foundation of public opinion but is increasingly under pressure online. “In the digital sphere we currently have an obvious market imbalance among the actors-regarding the commitment to neutrality and objectivity, the methods of distribution, and the revenue sharing” Ippen said. He called Becker’s initiative “a seriously worthwhile contribution to the debate”.
Becker has recently urged the German federal government, during a conference, to adopt a digital levy for platforms such as Facebook and Google. These platforms distribute journalistic content and reap financial benefits while editorial teams bear the costly production. She points to a media‑policy order that has “gone into an imbalance”.
The push also receives backing from within the political sphere. Stefan Gruhner, a CDU member, state chancellor and media minister of Thuringia, underscored the importance of regional media for democratic public life. “Our regional publishers, private media providers and cultural creators make an essential contribution to economic value creation, to regional and local media diversity, and to the identity and democratic public in our state” he said.