Almost a year ago, Meta began to carry out its threat and blocked all journalistic content from its Facebook and Instagram platforms in Canada, to avoid having to comply with the new Online News Act. A move that caused a wave of panic within the media, a large part of whose audiences at the time came from social networks. But in the end, the predicted disaster did not occur.
The first months of the blockade were certainly difficult for newsrooms, which were forced to adjust their strategy. But most major media groups have noted that many Quebecers have developed, in recent months, the reflex of going directly to their application and the Internet to get information. Radio-Canada has even noted a 12% increase in visits to its journalistic content in one year, even though the public broadcaster is no longer able to share them on Instagram and Facebook to promote them.
“Yes, there was a 12% increase in traffic. But if the news had not been blocked, the increase would probably have been even greater. We must not pat ourselves on the back with our good figures and minimize the impact of the blocking. The fact is that there are people who used to get their information only on social networks that we can no longer reach, I’m thinking of young people among others. The blocking of news is still very bad news for democracy,” says Luce Julien, general director of information at Radio-Canada.
She cites a recent study commissioned by the state-owned company that found that more than 35 percent of people aged 25 to 34 say they are less informed since Meta began blocking news from its platforms on March 1.er last August. “When I see that, red lights immediately go on,” she adds.
Radio-Canada’s regional stations were hit harder by the news blackout, as their content relied heavily on the reach of Facebook and Instagram. The adjustment was also more difficult for some departments of the public broadcaster, such as Rad, whose reports are mainly aimed at a young audience, in addition to being designed with social media in mind. Rad can still count on TikTok and YouTube, but Meta’s decision still affected the visibility of “Radio-Canada’s journalism lab.”
“Despite everything, I never thought about closing Rad. It’s important to continue to support initiatives that seek to reach younger audiences,” emphasizes Luce Julien, who still hopes that Meta will return to the negotiating table, and that the news will return to Facebook and Instagram.
Brian Myles, the director of the Dutyfor his part, judges that “it would not be a catastrophe” for his daily life, if the current situation turned out to be permanent. “In the end, there was more fear than harm,” he concludes.
Increase in subscribers
He concedes, however, that the reach of the videos produced by The duty was affected by the block, since many listeners came from Instagram. But overall, digital subscriptions to the Dutyone of the newspaper’s main sources of revenue, increased by 13% in the last year, reaching their highest level.
The Coops de l’information, which includes Quebec’s six regional dailies, have also seen an increase in subscriptions, without disclosing specific figures. “Today, the issue for the media is artificial intelligence and the renewal of the tax credit, which will not necessarily be renewed if there is a change of government at the federal level. Facebook is no longer really a current issue for the media. In any case, I no longer expect much from them. If the lack of news really hurt them, they would have already returned to the negotiating table,” observes Geneviève Rossier, the general director of the Coops de l’info.
The information coops and The duty previously had deals with Meta, which agreed to pay them a portion of the revenue generated by the content they shared on Facebook and Instagram. Meta ended those deals when the Trudeau government passed the Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, last year. The legislation required the American company to pay all media outlets. Rather than negotiate a fee that would then be redistributed across all media outlets in the country, as Google did, Meta opted to block the news.
More room for fake news
Even before this highly controversial decision last August, audiences from Facebook and Instagram were marginal to The Presswhere 85% of traffic already came from the app and website. “The blockage did not have any financial consequences for us, because it did not affect our readership. Our concern is more about the consequences for society. There were a lot of young people who only saw news in their news feed on Facebook and Instagram. We now need to find new ways to reach them,” urges Florence Turpault-Desroches, vice-president of communications for The Press.
Quebecor, owner of TVA and the Montreal Journaldid not respond to our request for an interview on the consequences of the blockage. Meta also did not respond to our request.
The office of the Minister of Heritage, Pascale St-Onge, deplores the attitude of the digital giant in the matter, emphasizing that the blocking of official sources of information in the country has caused a proliferation of fake news. “Facebook must act responsibly and unblock news on its platform,” they reiterate.