Google Zero = Journalism Zero

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Imagine a world without investigative journalists. Thanks to Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs), that future may not be far off.

AIOs promise instant answers - but at a potentially devastating cost. These summaries, automatically generated by Google, increasingly appear at the top of search results. The intent is to keep users within Google’s ecosystem and eliminate the need to click through to source websites. AIOs first launched in the US in May 2024 and expanded to over 100 countries by October.

AIOs are the clearest example yet of 'Google Zero' – a term coined by Nilay Patel of The Verge - describing Google’s aim to keep users entirely within its ecosystem, delivering answers, education – and even purchases - with zero clicks to an external site. The fallout? A potential death spiral for journalism.

AIOs Are Rising, and Traffic Is Falling

As marketers, we’ve seen AIOs disrupt traffic patterns across the web. Analysts report AI Overviews now appear on roughly 16% of US keyword volume - and as much as 55% of all search queries, depending on how you define AIO coverage. Brands have already seen click-through rates drop - organic traffic has dropped 15–64%, with an average decline of around 35%, depending on the study. News organisations, with their reliance on clicks for ad revenue, are hit particularly hard.

The appeal for users is obvious: quick, clean answers, often with citations. But those citations don’t translate into traffic. Worse still, AIOs are prone to 'hallucinations' - confidently serving up misinformation. That might be laughable when AI suggests eating rocks for nutrients, but it’s dangerous when applied to current events and news.

Why Journalism Matters

Why does this matter? Because journalism isn’t just content. It’s accountability. It’s Woodward and Bernstein exposing Watergate. The Boston Globe uncovering the Catholic Church’s abuse scandal. The New York Times revealing Harvey Weinstein’s crimes. These stories changed the world. Without clicks, the business model that supports such reporting collapses.

The Business Model Is Broken

Journalism - and especially investigative journalism, is expensive and time-consuming. As ad dollars have dried up - first in print, then digital - newsrooms have shrunk. Print ad revenue has dropped 75–80% since its 2005 peak. Digital ads and subscriptions haven’t filled the gap. And now AIOs are accelerating the decline.

The journalism crisis isn’t theoretical - it’s measurable. Between 2008 and 2021, US newsroom employment has dropped by roughly 26%, with newspaper jobs falling more than 50%. In the past two years alone, more than 21,000 media jobs have been lost, and the cuts continue: in early 2025 - according to reports - the Washington Post laid off 4% of its staff, HuffPost slashed 22% of its newsroom, and the LA Times has cut its editorial staff by half in just three years.

These aren’t just numbers - they’re watchdogs gone missing, stories left untold, and communities left in the dark. And as more local papers vanish at a rate of two per week, tens of millions of Americans and Canadians now live in 'news deserts' without reliable local coverage. This hollowing out of journalism isn’t just an industry collapse - it’s a democratic emergency.

A Closed Ecosystem Means Lost Revenue

Google’s long-term vision seems clear: a user journey entirely within its platform, from awareness to purchase. To Google, news is just another puzzle piece - scraped, summarised, and served without compensation. Social platforms aren’t any better: influencers on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube monetise headlines created by reporters, while newsrooms see nothing.

When Governments Step In - Or Don’t

Some governments have attempted to intervene. Canada’s Online News Act resulted in Google making a $100M annual licensing agreement with Canadian publishers. And I must commend Google for this. And to be clear - this is not an attack on Google. My personal experience with Google as a business partner has always been excellent. But I cannot ignore and stay silent to what I see happening.

Meta, meanwhile, chose to block Canadian news entirely. In the US, proposed legislation to allow collective bargaining for media organisations stalled before a vote. Regulation is slow. Platform disruption is fast.

What Needs to Change

What can be done? Platforms must treat journalism like the way we license music, film, or television content. If Reddit and Stack Overflow can negotiate licensing deals with AI providers, so can newsrooms.

One challenge is that news media is so decentralised, no single entity holds enough clout. A possible solution? Establishing a cross-platform journalism licensing coalition, similar to those used in the music industry.

Regardless, Google should share ad revenue based on citations, not just clicks. Social media should compensate original sources when news drives engagement. These aren’t radical ideas - they’re necessary lifelines.

News organisations must evolve, too. They need to think like content creators, not just publishers, in order to stay relevant. But they can’t survive on hustle alone.

We Must Act Now

This isn’t just a business problem. It’s a democratic crisis. If we allow investigative journalism to die, we risk a world where corruption festers unchecked, where the powerful act with impunity, and where truth becomes a casualty of convenience.

Journalists shine a light in dark places. Without them, darkness spreads. A zero-click future can’t become a zero-accountability one. Journalism protects democracy. It’s time we protected journalism.