Publishers See 2020 as the Year More Start to Get Paid for News

  • Facebook, smaller apps like SmartNews cut checks for stories
  • So far it’s a trickle, with cash going to big publishers

Pedestrians pass in front of the New York Times building in New York.

Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

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For years, news outlets promoted their work on various online platforms, hoping to bring readers and advertisers back to their own websites.

But the ad dollars have largely flowed to Facebook and Google. Now, as they head into 2020, embattled publishers are hoping to turn the tables on tech platforms that have profited from their work -- by getting them to pay for stories.