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Meta Threatens To Pull News From Platforms Over Proposed Media Law

The proposal from Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar would allow media organizations to negotiate compensation for news content shared on Meta platforms.

Meta Threatens To Pull News From Platforms Over Proposed Media Law
Richard Drew / AP
By Gage Jackson
SMS
December 6, 2022

Facebook parent company Meta is threatening to remove news content from its platforms if a controversial journalism bill is passed by Congress.

The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would allow new organizations to negotiate compensation from U.S. tech companies over content shared on social media platforms.

The bill was introduced by Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and received bipartisan support from lawmakers. 

Meta Spokesperson Andy Stone criticized the bill, saying news organizations post on their platforms because "it benefits their bottom line — not the other way around."

The News Media Alliance — which represents nearly 2,000 U.S. publishers — called Meta's threat to remove content "undemocratic and unbecoming."

Referring to a similar Australian law, the trade group said the bill "resulted in countless jobs for local journalists and $140 million to news outlets, which translates to billions in the U.S."

Meta — which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — reported more than $14 billion in ad revenue on its platforms last year.