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>> Ainsley: FACEBOOK PARENT META
THREATENING TO REMOVE ALL NEWS
FROM ITS SITE IF CONGRESS PASS
AS LAW ALLOWING NEWS
ORGANIZATIONS TO BARGAIN WITH
TECH COMPANIES FOR COMPENSATION.
>> Steve: THAT’S RIGHT,
NEGOTIATE.
META FURIOUSLY ADDING, QUOTE,
PUT SIMPLY THE GOVERNMENT
CREATING A CARTEL LIKE ENTITY
WHICH REQUIRES ONE PRIVATE
COMPANY TO SUBSIDIZE OTHER
PRIVATE ENTITIYS IS A TERRIBLE
PRECEDENT FOR ALL-AMERICAN
BUSINESSES.
>> Brian: "FOX & FRIENDS
WEEKEND" CO-HOST WILL CAIN IS
HERE TO PUT IT ALL IN
PERSPECTIVE.
WILL, HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THIS?
>> OH, IT’S INCREDIBLY
SIGNIFICANT.
IT’S ALLOWING ESSENTIALLY A NEWS
INDUSTRY OF ALL OF OUR
TRADITIONAL NEWS ENTITIES TO
THEN GO INTO FACEBOOK AND SAY
YOU HAVE TO CARE US AND THIS IS
WHAT YOU HAVE TO PAY US.
BRIAN, LIKE IN ANY TYPE OF --
THIS WOULD BE AN ANTI TRUST
EXEMPTION.
SO IN ANY TYPE OF MONOPOLY
SITUATION, WHAT YOU DO IS YOU
CONTROL THE OUTLET AND YOU CROWD
OUT THE UPSTARTS.
NOW, THIS IS WHY -- OKAY.
THIS IS WHY IT’S IMPORTANT.
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT --
SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
JOURNALISM DONE, CERTAINLY OVER
THE LAST YEAR AND I WOULD ARGUE
OVER THE LAST FIVE TO 10 YEARS
HAS BEEN INDEPENDENT CITIZEN
JOURNALISM.
WHERE DID ELON MUSK GIVE THE
TWITTER FILES?
HE GAVE IT TO AN INDEPENDENT
JOURNALIST AT SUBSTACK IN MATT
TAIBBI AND ANOTHER INDEPENDENT
JOURNALIST IN SUBSTACK BARI
WEISS.
IF YOU ALLOW THE "NEW YORK
TIMES" AND "THE WASHINGTON POST"
AND THE "L.A. TIMES" AND CNN WHO
ALL DICTATE WHO GETS EXPOSURE
AND AT WHAT PRICE, THEY HAVE NOW
CONTROL OVER THE HOW LOUD THE
VOICES CAN BE.
THEY CAN BE THE LOUDEST VOICE.
THEY CAN CHOOSE.
AND NOBODY HAS BEEN MORE
SENSORROUS.
NO ONE HAS EMBRACE CENSORSHIP TH
THE MEDIA COMPANIES.
THEY HAVE ACTUALLY LOVED IT.
THE EXISTING, THE LEGACY MEDIA
COMPANIES BECAUSE IT ALLOWS THEM
TO CROWD OUT THAT THOSE THAT
WOULD LOOK TO COMPETE.
THIS FORMALIZES IT INTO LAW.
>> Steve: ALSO, WILL,
ESSENTIALLY THESE ONLINE
AGGREGATORS TAKE STUFF WE DO AND
OTHER PEOPLE DO, INDEPENDENT
JOURNALISTS TAKE THE STUFF THAT
OUR PRODUCT, OUR CONTENT AND PUT
IT UP THERE FOR FREE.
WHEREAS PEOPLE GO AND THEY CLICK
AROUND ON THESE AGGREGATORS HEY,
I’M GOING TO LOOK AT THAT NEWS.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, ALL THE
MEDIA COMPANIES HAVE GOT A
FINANCIAL INTEREST IN IT.
SO IT’S UNITED STATES FOR ALL
THE MEDIA COMPANIES AND WRITERS
BECAUSE THEN FACEBOOK, WHICH IS
GIGANTICALLY RICH, HAS TO SHARE
SOME OF THE CASH.
>> Will: YEAH, BUT, STEVE, THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU SAID
ALL OF US, ANYBODY THAT CREATES
CONTENT, RIGHT?
AND THE DISTRIBUTER, FACEBOOK.
AND LOOK I’M NOT HERE TO DEFEND
FACEBOOK OR EVEN THEIR BUSINESS
MODEL, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THE
RELATIONSHIP IS A VOLUNTARY ONE.
WE PUT OUR CONTENT ON THEIR
PLATFORMS BECAUSE WE WANT TO
EXPOSURE TO THEIR AUDIENCE.
AND THEN WE CAN REAP SOME
ADVERTISING REVENUE IF YOU WANT.
LOOK, DO I THINK IT’S GREAT?
I DO THINK IT’S A GREAT BUSINESS
MODEL?
DO I THINK IT PRODUCES THE BEST
JOURNALISM IN ALL CASES?
NO I DO NOT.
I DON’T THINK THE ANSWER TO THAT
I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG CONGRESS
HAS WANTED TO CONTROL THE MEDIA?
HOW OFTEN HAVE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
TRIED TO PASS THE FAIRNESS
DOCTRINE?
YOU KNOW, SO THAT THEY COULD
CONTROL EVENING OUT OF LEFT AND
RIGHT VOICES ON TALK RADIO?
YOU DON’T THINK THAT IF CONGRESS
NOW GUESS TO HELP COALESCE THIS
MONOPOLY THEY ARE GOING TO HELP
DETERMINE WHO IS A PART OF THE
CARTEL, WHO GETS IN AND WHO
DOESN’T?
I’M TELLING YOU RIGHT NOW IT,
WILL SHUT DOWN CITIZEN
JOURNALISM, IT WILL SHUT DOWN
SMALL BUSINESS.
AND, BY THE WAY, IT HAS THE
ABILITY TO HELP FOREIGN POWERS.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, SOME
FOREIGN -- SOME CHINESE MEDIA
COMPANY CAN’T COME IN AND BE A
PART OF THIS CARTEL, EVEN
SURREPTITIOUSLY THROUGH THE "NEW
YORK TIMES" OR THE "L.A. TIMES"?
I DON’T LIKE THIS, STEVE, I