The state’s Journalism Preservation Act would make the company “pay into a slush fund that primarily benefits big, out-of-state media companies under the guise of aiding California publishers,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone tweeted. The bill is broadly similar to Canada’s Bill C-18 and Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code, requiring large social platforms to make deals to pay digital journalism outlets for content. (The Logic)

Talking point: Meta has made the same threat to the U.S. federal government and in Canada over C-18, which has passed the House of Commons and is under examination in the Senate. Google has implicitly done the same. Publishers have said such bans would be devastating. The Logic’s CEO David Skok has previously testified in support of the bill to a House of Commons committee, arguing that large platforms are already striking payment deals that favour large media companies, and is scheduled to testify to a Senate committee on June 6.