California has announced a major new plan to support journalism and advance research in artificial intelligence. This groundbreaking program, revealed on Wednesday, will begin in 2025 with a $250 million budget, including $100 million for the first year. The goal is to help local news organizations across the state, which have been struggling to keep up in the digital age. The state government is working with top technology companies to provide financial support for newsrooms, aiming to strengthen the press’s role in a healthy democratic society.

This agreement follows long discussions between lawmakers and tech companies, who had earlier opposed rules requiring them to share revenue with media companies. The deal has been approved by key groups like the California News Publishers Association, Alphabet, and OpenAI. While this initiative is seen as a major advancement for journalism, not everyone is fully supportive. Some journalists and legislators worry that the funding might not be enough to solve the deep problems facing the industry. Still, the initiative is expected to greatly benefit and renew local news in California and might serve as a model for other states.