Voluntary deals with “big digital platforms like Google and Meta” aren’t enough to support New Zealand’s journalism outlets—and especially small community newspapers, Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson said Sunday. The government will bring in mandatory bargaining for payments to Kiwi outlets as a backstop, he said, citing as a model Canada’s in-progress legislation to do the same. (The Logic)

Talking point: New Zealand is struggling with support for journalism on multiple fronts, including merging its public radio and television broadcasters and creating a NZ$55-million fund to support other outlets—raising questions about journalistic independence. A bill to require digital platforms to pay news companies for linked content might not pass into law before an election expected in 2023, however, and the opposition National party is ahead of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour party in recent polls. Meanwhile, Canada’s bill, C-18, is under review by the House of Commons heritage committee. The U.S. Senate is considering a similar bill; on Monday, Meta added the United States to the list of countries where it’s threatening to ban links to news on its platforms.