Masters of the Universe: California Lawmakers Kill Bill that Would Force Google & Facebook to Pay News Orgs

California lawmakers have announced a deal that will kill a bill that would have forced tech giants like Google and Facebook to pay news organizations for their content. In exchange, the Silicon Valley Masters of the Universe will commit $250 million to fund newsrooms and an “AI accelerator.” The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the California Journalism Preservation Act, which aimed to impose fees on large digital platforms based on a percentage of their ad revenue, has been set aside in favor of a new partnership to support California newsrooms....