B.C. media companies react after being throttled by Facebook, Meta
Local media providers say cordoning of accounts harms sharing of wildfire, critical information
Several B.C. news outlets say their social media accounts with Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram and new offering Threads, have cordoned off their accounts.
It follows Meta's June announcement to end access to news on its social media sites for all Canadian users before Bill C-18, the Online News Act, comes into force.
The law will force tech giants like Meta and Google to pay news outlets for posting their journalism on their platforms.
"Meta, the colossus that owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, flexed its muscle and we at The Tyee felt the sting," wrote David Beers, the founding editor of The Tyee, an online magazine, in an article on July 12.
"This represents a truly weird and pivotal time for digital news publishers in Canada, and other countries who are considering similar moves."
The Tyee said it first noticed changes to its Instagram account on Tuesday, when its social media manager tried to post news stories and saw half of its posts had disappeared.
Later, the entire feed disappeared, with a blanket statement.
"People in Canada can't see your content. This account is a news publication. Content from news publications can't be viewed in Canada in response to Canadian government legislation."
This week the same has happened to independent Victoria news outlet CHEK News and other smaller newspapers such as the Nelson Star, run by Black Press.
Meta has shut down my paper's Instagram page. I knew this was coming but didn't expect it to be so soon. <a href="https://t.co/a2vMmnUJnu">pic.twitter.com/a2vMmnUJnu</a>
—@tyler_harper
The outlets say they knew the restriction was coming, but at the same time are dismayed as critical emergency information about the province's increasing wildfire threat is now not being shared widely over social media, where many people would access it.
"At a time when the fire hazard on Vancouver Island is extreme, Meta is blocking access within Canada to all CHEK News posts on its Instagram site," said Victoria's CHEK News in a post on Twitter.
"As of Friday morning, even urgent public information from CHEK News is restricted from view within Canada. "
It comes shortly after B.C.'s Transportation Ministry found itself blocked from posting essential route and travel information to Twitter during the province's wildfire season last week.
In response, Meta told CBC News in an email that the blocking of B.C. outlets were part of planned tests on both Facebook and Instagram, following the enactment of Bill C-18.
"These randomized tests are ongoing and will help us build an effective product solution to end news availability in order to comply with the Online News Act," wrote Lisa Laventure with Meta.
No more Meta advertising, says B.C.
In response to Meta blocking Canadian news from social media platforms, the provincial government said it has stopped advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
Premier David Eby said in a statement Meta's decision to cut off news access for many people in British Columbia who use the social media sites is "unacceptable.''
Eby's statement says B.C. wants to send a strong message to Meta that journalism is a vital public service and news access should not be blocked.
B.C will only advertise on Meta to provide the public with critical information related to public health and safety emergencies, including wildfire information, according to the statement.
CBC News has also announced it would pause ad buys on Facebook and Instagram.
According to a Meta ad spending reporting tool, the B.C. government spent $1,600 on ads on the platform from April 14 to July 12, whereas, by comparison the Liberal Party of Canada spent $18,600 and the Conservative Party of Canada spent nearly $66,000 during that time.
Radio-Canada spent $7,900 on Meta ads during the same period.
Different channels
CHEK News, the Tyee and CBC News are all advocating for consumers to find different routes to stories such as through the providers' own apps, or different social media accounts that are not blocking Canadian content.
"We're encouraging Canadians to go directly to the websites and apps they trust for their news — not just our own," said Emma Iannetta with CBC News' media relations, strategy and public affairs.
"Our Local News Directory is one way they can find their local outlets."
Ahmed Al-Rawi, a professor at Simon Fraser University's school of communication, said making that shift could be difficult for many users.
"It's too entrenched, deeply rooted in our online behaviour," he said about social media and the use of Google to search for local news.
"I think these big tech companies have exploited this fact now trying to put more pressure on the news industry in Canada and it's a huge problem because in the end it will affect our democracy because without local journalism we will have big gaps in our understanding of what is happening in our country."
With files from The Canadian Press