Episode 8.10 -- Google needs news. News doesn't need Google

Last week, Google started removing California-based news sites from search results in retaliation for the legislature advancing the California Journalism Protection Act. The act requires Google to pay the sites when they provide links to news coverage that people are searching for. (See article in Cyber Protection Magazine) Google has tried to strongarm governments in Australia and Canada when they passed national "link taxes" designed to keep publications financially stable and both times Google has backed down and came to an agreement. We talked with veteran award-winning journalist and publisher Marty Weybret about his personal experience with the devastation caused by Google to local news. He establishes some reasoning why the financial model for news may need to change but acknowledges that laws like this are a necessary first step, especially since Google seems to think they are more important than local news .