Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc threatened Monday to pull its platform if the US Congress passes a resolution aimed at making it easier for news organizations to collectively negotiate with companies such as Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook. Will delete the news.
Sources briefed on the matter said lawmakers are considering including the Journalism Competition and Protection Act in the annual Defense Bill as a way to help the struggling local news industry.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said in a tweet that if the law is passed, the company would be forced to consider removing the news “rather than submit to government-mandated dialogue that unfairly disregards any value.” that we provide to news outlets through increased traffic and subscriptions.”
He said the proposal fails to recognize that publishers and broadcasters put content on the platform because “it benefits their bottom line – not the other way around.”
The News Media Alliance, a trade group representing newspaper publishers, is urging Congress to add the bill to the defense bill, arguing that “local papers cannot tolerate many more years of Big Tech use and abuse.” We can, and time to act is running out. If Congress doesn’t act soon, we risk allowing social media to become America’s de facto local newspaper.”
More than two dozen groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Public Knowledge and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, urged Congress on Monday not to approve the local news bill, saying it would be “a non-compliance to publishers and broadcasters.” would create a consultative antitrust exemption” and argued the bill did not require “money obtained through negotiation or arbitration to be paid to journalists as well.”
A similar Australian law, which was supposed to shut down Facebook news feeds in the country in March 2021 after talks with big tech firms, has largely worked, a government report said.
The report states that since the News Media Bargaining Code took effect, various tech firms including Meta and Alphabet have signed more than 30 deals with media outlets, compensating them for content that generates clicks and advertising dollars. Can go
