(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)CANBERRA ā Facebook announced on Friday preliminary agreements with three Australian publishers, a day after the Parliament passed a law that would make the digital giants pay for news.
Facebook said letters of intent had been signed with independent news organizations Private Media, Schwartz Media and Solstice Media.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new Australian law was critical to the deals that Australian media businesses were negotiating with the two gateways to the internet.
News Corp. Australia executive chairman Michael Miller said last week that his company had pay negotiations with Facebook.
I think the door is still open,ā Miller told a Senate inquiry into Australian media diversity.