I Hate To Agree, But...

If you are a reader of FTVLive, then you know that I am not a fan of Facebook.

There are many reason for that, most of which I have written about in the past.

But, I do find myself agreeing with Facebook (AKA Meta) on this latest issue.

Meta has threatened to remove news content from its platforms following reports that US lawmakers have added controversial legislation favoring news media to the annual defense authorization bill.

The bill will allow news outlets to bargain collectively against social media platforms for a larger share of ad revenue in exchange for their news content.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone in a tweet said the company would be forced to consider removing news if the law was passed "rather than submit to government-mandated negotiations that unfairly disregard any value we provide to news outlets through increased traffic and subscriptions."

He added the proposal fails to recognize that publishers and broadcasters put content on the platform because "it benefits their bottom line - not the other way around."

He’s right.

There is a reason that your boss wants you to post to Facebook and other social media, it’s to drive viewers to watch the station and visit the station’s website.

This reminds me of how stations demand more money from cable and satellite companies just to carry a signal that the station offers viewers free over the air.

I hate Facebook, but on this issue I agree with them.