THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CODE

A Marxist Analysis of the Australian News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code

Abstract

This paper critically examines the Australian News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code, a regulation which mandates negotiated remuneration between large digital platforms like Google and Facebook and news media businesses. Adopting a Marxist lens, it analyses the interplay between economic interests, law-making and ideological narratives in the development of the Code. It considers how the Code, initially intended to address economic and power imbalances between news media and tech giants like Google or Facebook, ultimately reflects the economic imperatives of these platforms. The practical impacts of the Code on journalism, democratic society and digital platform regulation require further research.