Many Canadian newspapers have to pay to post news on Facebook.

(CLO) After Facebook blocked news articles, many Canadian news organizations, including National Observer and IndigiNews, were left in a difficult situation when they could not reach their readers on this platform.

Pay Facebook to read

The decision by Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) to stop providing news on its platform in Canada has had serious consequences.

Canadians still use Facebook and Instagram to get their news, but the quality of the information has dropped significantly. Information is shared primarily through screenshots, lacking context and links to the original source.

Local media outlets are struggling to reach their audiences. They are looking for alternatives like TikTok, Unrigged, but the results are not very good. Some outlets even have to pay Meta to promote their articles.

The fact that Canadian media outlets have to pay Meta to reach their readers is a prime example of the complexity of the relationship between media outlets, governments and technology companies in the digital age. (Photo: GI)

Linda Solomon Wood, publisher of the National Observer, shared the irony of the situation: “We’re buying ads on the very platform that blocked us,” she said, not wanting to, but the only way to reach a portion of her audience.

Eden Fineday, the head of IndigiNews, a publication serving indigenous communities, shared a harrowing story. IndigiNews lost half its traffic overnight after the Meta ban. To maintain its presence and reach, Fineday had to make a difficult decision: pay Facebook to promote its articles.

By her calculations, maintaining a Facebook presence for a year would cost between $15,000 and $20,000. That’s a lot of money for a small publication like IndigiNews. But Fineday says it’s an unavoidable choice. “There’s no other platform that can reach indigenous communities, especially those in remote areas, as well as Facebook,” she says.

Tensions between Canada and tech giants

The Online News Act (ONA) has been passed but has not yet officially come into effect. The Canadian government is trying to negotiate with major tech companies, including Google and Meta, to find a suitable solution.

In November 2024, a breakthrough occurred when Google agreed not to block news and pledged to financially support local media through a new fund. However, the amount Google contributed was still less than the amount it would have been required to pay under the law.

Meanwhile, Meta has been adamant and has shown no signs of cooperation. The Canadian government, despite having legislation in hand, has been cautious and has delayed implementing the ONA, hoping that Meta will change its mind when faced with the consequences of violating the law.

Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage, who played a key role in drafting the ONA, has defended the regulation, calling it transparent and sustainable, while emphasizing that big tech companies like Meta need to play a part in the development of the media industry.

Linda Solomon Wood, founder of the National Observer, agrees. She says it makes sense to ask Meta and Google to make financial contributions, since the two companies have made a lot of money in Canada without making a significant contribution to the local economy.

However, Ms Wood also admitted that the ONA law was not perfect. "It still has many shortcomings, but the idea behind it is the right one," she said.

Hoang Anh (according to CJR)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tro-treu-nhieu-to-bao-canada-phai-tra-tien-de-duoc-dua-tin-tuc-len-facebook-post328802.html