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Meta is ready to drop news in Illinois if forced to pay local publishers

Meta consistently opposes paying for local news content.

A new Illinois bill called the Journalism Preservation Act ( SB 3591) that’s currently sitting in the state’s Senate would require online companies to pay local news publishers for work viewed by residents on their platforms. The bill calls local journalism “key to sustaining civic society,” saying it gives information “at a deeper level that national outlets cannot match,” but notes that “over the past 10 years, newspaper advertising has decreased 66%, and newsroom staff has declined 44%.” It says it’s “critical” that they be “justly compensated for the content they create and distribute.” The bill is similar to California’s Journalism Preservation Act, which also requires platforms to pay local publishers, but which was postponed after Meta threatened to block news there.

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