On Thursday, the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA) cleared the state assembly and moved to the state senate. The proposed law mandates that large online platforms pay a monthly “journalism usage fee” to news providers whose work appears on their services. The bill aims to support local news organizations that have been hit hard by the loss of ad revenue to Google and Facebook.
Facebook Threatens to Pull News from Platform
Despite its noble intentions, the CJPA has faced opposition from Facebook owner Meta, which threatened to remove news from its platform if the bill became law. A Meta spokesman stated that the company would rather remove news from Facebook and Instagram than pay into a “slush fund” that primarily benefits big, out-of-state media companies.
Legislation Pending Across the Globe
The CJPA is not the first of its kind, with similar legislative texts pending across the globe. In Australia, Facebook briefly blocked news articles in 2021 over a similar law, and Google threatened to pull its search engine from the country before making deals to pay several media groups. In the European Union, tech giants can be asked to pay a copyright fee to publishers for links posted in search results or feeds.
Concerns Raised by Critics
Critics of the CJPA, including trade group Chamber of Progress, have raised concerns over the bill’s potential impact. The chamber, whose partners include Amazon, Apple, Google, and Meta, stated that the bill primarily funds national media outlets that spread misinformation. A study posted by the chamber concluded that “disinformation outlets,” including Fox News, would benefit most from the California law.
The CJPA is still awaiting approval from the state senate and Governor Gavin Newsom before it becomes law. However, the proposed legislation has already sparked debate and controversy, with opposing views on its potential impact. While the bill aims to support struggling local news organizations, its opponents argue that it primarily benefits large media companies and may even fund disinformation outlets. As the bill moves through the legislative process, it remains to be seen how it will ultimately affect the media landscape in California.
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