To circumvent the Online News Act (LNE), the giant Meta blocked journalistic content from Facebook and Instagram. We, New Acadia, News, Deals, Info Coops (grouping The sun, The Daily, The Nouvelliste, The Voice of the East, The gallery, The right, The Aces of Info), The duty And URBANIAlet’s unite our voices to denounce this invisible censorship which weakens the media industry.
Nearly four months have passed since the blockade, and hope that Meta will comply with the new law is growing slim. Today we are calling on the civic responsibility of Quebecers and Canadians to guarantee the continuation of our journalistic activities, which are crucial to maintaining a healthy democracy.
This radical response from Meta goes against the very foundations of press freedom and access to information. Overnight, without users really realizing it, information content evaporated from the two most popular social media platforms.
A standoff that is expensive
It is now commonplace to say that the media industry is in crisis. Recent mass layoffs within the media have concretely demonstrated the extent of the problem. We are now apprehending the repercussions of a drop in visibility of our content, naturally leading to a decline in our advertising revenue, which has already been affected for several years by the migration of a portion of advertising to Web giants.
Before the blocking, Facebook and Instagram were major levers for showcasing our content. According to a recent survey by the Center for Media Studies, 44% of Quebecers, and 70% in the 18-34 age group, considered Facebook and Instagram to be important sources of information. These are a significant number of Quebecers and French-speakers from the Atlantic, and more particularly representatives of the rising generations, for whom their habits of consulting information have been shaken up. There is reason to sound the alarm.
By preventing the free circulation of journalistic content produced by credible media outlets, Meta opens the door wide to the spread of false information at a time when facts and clarity are essential. Given these already well-established content consultation habits, the giant is undermining one of the fundamental pillars of democracy: access to credible and verified information.
Act now
Anyone reading this statement will inevitably describe the situation as worrying. However, popular indignation remains moderate. Facebook and Instagram have not experienced any significant drop in traffic, and Canadians are feeding on watered-down content more than ever.
You can act on an individual level to find reliable and verified information. By subscribing, downloading our applications or subscribing to our newsletters, you are making a concrete gesture to support media that respect your intelligence. You support the work of thousands of journalists and artisans who carry out a crucial and demanding profession for the benefit of our society.
Together, let’s act now to preserve the vitality of our local media.