Meta Ready to Pull News in Illinois if Forced to Pay Publishers

On March 13, Meta released a warning threatening to drop news from its platforms if the Journalism Preservation Act (SB 3591) bill becomes law in Illinois.

The new bill is currently awaiting the approval of the state’s senate. If passed, internet companies such as Meta will be required to pay local news outlets for the content people in Illinois view on these platforms.

The proposed bill suggests that companies such as Meta and Google must monitor and record how they display content from Illinois-based publishers on their sites. Then, within 10 days after each month ends, these companies must pay a fee to these publishers. This “‘journalism usage fee” will be 1% of the companies’ advertising revenue.

Jamie Radice, a spokesperson for Meta, said in an email to The Verge that the main reason people use Facebook and Instagram isn’t for news. Radice stated, “If the law passes, we will be forced to make the same business decision that we made in Canada to end the availability of news in Illinois.”

The bill describes local journalism as essential for a strong community, providing in-depth information that national news can’t. It also mentions that newspaper ads have dropped by 66% and newsroom staff by 44% in the last decade. It stresses the importance of paying these local news sources fairly for their work.

Senator Steve Stadelman tells News/Media Alliance that the future of local journalism is in danger. He also calls the bill “essential” so the residents in Illinois can have access to in-depth news.

This bill is identical to California’s Journalism Preservation Act, which was put on hold after Meta threatened to remove news content in the state. Meta and Google have previously protested similar bills in Canada and Australia. Meta brought back the news on its platforms in Australia after the country amended the law in its favor.

The standoff between Meta and Illinois over paying for news content is more than a local issue. It’s about adapting journalism’s business models to the digital era’s rapid changes. This situation also highlights the influence of tech giants on the information landscape. They can shape what news we see, raising concerns about their reluctance to support an industry crucial for combating misinformation.