The Missing Money Trail: Why Article 15’s Story Hides a Democratic Failure

When European policymakers championed Article 15 of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DCDSM), they painted a compelling picture. Here was legislation that would finally make tech giants pay their fair share to news publishers, channeling millions into quality journalism and saving democratic media from the digital advertising apocalypse. The promise was simple: Google and Facebook would pay, publishers would prosper, and journalism would flourish. Five years later, we have a “success...