US EditionCalifornia, Google cut pledged funds to support state’s newsrooms
- California and Google formed a partnership announced on May 21, 2025, to fund struggling local newsrooms through the California Civic Media Fund administered by the State Library.
- The partnership emerged after Google pledged $250 million over five years in 2024 but recently cut its first-year contribution from $15 million to $10 million following similar state funding cuts by Governor Newsom due to a $12 billion deficit.
- The fund combines public, private, and philanthropic money to support media outlets and develop an AI innovation accelerator for newsroom tools, with an advisory board including publishers and media unions.
- Alphabet’s vice president Jaffer Zaidi expressed gratitude toward Governor Newsom and Assemblymember Wicks for their roles in advancing the agreement set forth the previous year, emphasizing the company’s ongoing dedication despite the decrease in funding.
- Critics describe the agreement as modest, with a former senator calling it "a 1% solution" unlikely to stop California’s local news decline; supporters view the fund as a starting point that could attract more investment.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Google reduces donation to California newsrooms after Newsom budget plan cuts
Google announced Wednesday it has reduced its funding contribution for newsrooms across California, following the lead of Governor Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., who made a similar cut from his budget plan.
California and Google to make a media fund for the floundering news industry
An East Bay Democrat in the state Legislature announced the details on May 21 of a hard-fought partnership between California and Google to kick financial assistance toward the state's news media, an industry that shrunk dramatically in the digital age.
California, Google cut pledged funds to support state’s newsrooms
Google said Wednesday it would reduce its funding contribution for California newsrooms, following in the footsteps of state officials. The company has lowered its proposed $15 million donation to the California Civic Media Fund to $10 million instead. Google’s move comes a week after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) cut the same amount from his budget…
Google Settles Lawsuit Alleging Anti-Black Bias For $50 Million
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