Assembly Bill 886, which aims to make Google and Meta pay publishers for news shared on their platforms, has progressed through the state Senate's Appropriations Committee, having passed 4-2. This bill, representing a significant push against the dominance of digital platforms, compels these giants to either negotiate annual fees for media outlets or share digital ad revenues through mediation or arbitration, highlighting the ongoing struggles of traditional news publishers in the digital age.
The bill's author, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, noted that news publishers have been forced to adapt to unprecedented losses in revenue and closures of thousands of newspapers since 2005. As advertising shifted predominantly online, companies like Google and Meta have essentially monopolized digital ad revenue while failing to compensate news organizations adequately for their content, leading to a pressing need for regulatory intervention to safeguard the future of journalism.
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