Facebook’s parent company, Meta, threatened this Monday, December 5, to remove the news from its platform if the United States Congress passes a proposal to make it easier for news organizations to collectively bargain with companies like Alphabet Inc (Google) or Facebook itself.
Sources briefed on the matter told Reuterswhich mentions them in a report, that legislators are considering adding the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act to an annual advocacy bill that must pass as a way to help the struggling local news industry.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone explained in a tweet that the company would be forced to consider removing the news if the law passes “rather than submit to government-mandated negotiations that unfairly ignore any value we provide to news media.” communication through increased traffic and subscriptions.
added that the proposal fails to acknowledge that publishers and broadcasters put content on the platform because it “benefits their bottom line, not the other way around”.
Details about the controversial law
The News Media Alliance, a trade group representing newspaper publishers, is urging Congress to add the bill to the defense bill, arguing that “local newspapers cannot afford to put up with several more years of use.” and Big Tech abuse, and time to take action is running out.”
“If Congress doesn’t act soon, we risk allowing social media to become America’s de facto local newspaper.”, they denounce.
More than two dozen groups on Monday urged Congress not to pass the local news bill, saying it would “create an ill-advised antitrust exemption for publishers and broadcasters” and argued the bill does not require that “funds obtained through negotiation or arbitration are paid even to journalists”.