A bill that would force Big Tech companies to pay news agencies for using their content passed its first big test in the state Legislature on Thursday. Proponents said the measure will provide a lifeline to local news organizations, but opponents said the bill favors out-of-state big newspaper chains and could violate the First Amendment. Meta, the company that owns Facebook, has vowed to remove news stories from Facebook if the bill were to become law. Similar efforts to bolster local journalism have been attempted by the United States Congress, with little success. The California bill received bipartisan support.
