Australia PM Says Arrogant Meta Should Pay Outlets for News

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called social media companies arrogant and irresponsible, as the government’s battle to have Meta Platforms Inc. continue to pay local media organizations for content escalated.

Meta’s regional policy director Mia Garlick told a parliamentary committee Friday that “all options were on the table,” when asked whether the company would ban news on its platforms if the government determined it fell under the news media bargaining code, the Australian Financial Review reported.

Under the code, introduced in 2021, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones could “designate” Meta, pushing the company into discussions for payment with news ...