Local and Quebec-media groups are claiming that Facebook’s parent company Meta is restricting access to their news content because of the Liberal government’s decision to push forward with regulating the online news industry via Bill C-18.
Editor-in-chief of Le Journal de Quebec Sebastien Menard said that the outlet is having its reach suppressed on Facebook and has forced the outfit to put out a call to readers to access their website directly instead of through social media.
“We launched ourselves a campaign inviting our readers to come directly to our website instead of waiting for news to come to them through Facebook,” said Menard.
“When your social networks let you down regarding information, come on our news website.”
Bill C-18, which seeks to force companies to pay for sharing links to Canadian news, is currently in its third-reading in the Senate.
The news editor of the small Winnipeg media outlet, ChrisD.ca, Chris Dell has told CTV News that the social media company was “blocking some of” his content.
“It appears Meta is blocking some of our content, but not all of it,” said Dell.
Dell has said that the mounting dispute between the federal government and social media giants has resulted in local news providers being caught in the middle.
“As a small local news outlet, the majority of our traffic comes from Facebook and Google. My hope is that an amicable agreement can be reached between Silicon Valley and Ottawa that doesn’t leave publishers caught in the middle.”
Meta has recently admitted that it was in fact blocking access to some news sites randomly but would not name specifics.
The company says that it is a test to ensure that should Bill C-18 become law, they can comply with regulations by barring the sharing of news content by Canadians on Facebook and other platforms like Instagram.
