Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Facebook Banning Australian News

by · Junkee

Overnight, Facebook made the decision to block Australians from seeing and posting news on the platform in response to the proposed media bargaining code.

Australians scrolling their news feed this morning will have been met with a significant lack of news on the site. A quick look at the Facebook pages of popular Australian publishers, including Junkee, have now come up blank.

So what exactly is happening with Facebook right now, and what news sites are affected by these changes?

What’s Happening With Facebook?

For years the government has been in discussions over the News Media Bargaining Code, which essentially would force tech giants to contribute financially to news content produced by Australian publications.

The code was proposed as a way to “address bargaining power imbalances between Australian news media business and digital platforms”, but specifically called out Google and Facebook.

The Bill was introduced to parliament on December 9 2020, and Google and Facebook have since been in negotiations with Australian publishers to work out a fair deal between them before the impending code becomes law.

In response, this week Google signed a number of these news deals with Australian media outlets to the reported sum of $100 million a year. The publications that have come to an agreement with Google include Nine, Seven, News Corp, Private Media, and yes, Junkee Media.

However, while Google has made a significant effort to pay for journalism in Australia, Facebook has decided to back out completely and pull news made for, and by, Australians.

In a statement, Facebook Australia’s Managing Director, William Easton, explained that the decision was made “with a heavy heart” as the proposed law “fundamentally misunderstands” the relationship between the platform and publishers.

“The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content,” said Easton earlier this morning. “It has left us facing a stark choice: attempt to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or stop allowing news content on our services in Australia. With a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter.”

Easton then goes on to explain that the legislation “seeks to penalise Facebook for content it didn’t take or ask for”, and that the value exchange between the platform and publishers actually “runs in favour of the publishers”.

“Last year Facebook generated approximately 5.1 billion free referrals to Australian publishers worth an estimated AU$407 million,” Easton continued. “For Facebook, the business gain from news is minimal. News makes up less than 4% of the content people see in their News Feed.”

Despite Facebook News — a section of the app that features, and boosts the reach, of news content — launching in places like the UK, Facebook has decided to not release the product in Australia and to “prioritise investments to other countries” instead.

Easton explains that this is because “this legislation sets a precedent where the government decides who enters into these news content agreements, and ultimately, how much the party that already receives value from the free service gets paid”.

Why Is This Such A Big Deal?

While this all might sound like Australian news sites have simply just lost the ability to share articles on Facebook, these changes actually affect everyday Australians, too.

Not only are Australian publishers banned from sharing news on Facebook, but Australian Facebook users can also no longer share or view both local and international news content on the platform either.

On a global scale, Facebook has also restricted the ability for people in other countries to share any news links from Australian websites.

Moreover, as Facebook has begun to block out these news sites, Australians trying to consume content have already noticed some serious inconsistencies in what classifies as a “news site”.

While major publications like the ABC, Sydney Morning Herald, and even Junkee, have been effected by the change, so too have satirical sites like The Betoota Advocate, weather platforms, sports pages, local news outlets, and even health organisations and pages.

In a strange turn of events, Facebook appears to have even banned its own page amidst the “news” purge.

But during a time of widespread misinformation in the middle of a pandemic, the decision to block health sites from sharing content is a wildly dangerous move on Facebook’s part — especially for elderly, rural and First Nations people who rely on these pages for important updates.

As NT Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy points out, restricting the reach of information from First Nations media organisations “in the middle of a pandemic and a vaccine rollout to our most vulnerable communities” is nothing short of a mess.

Beyond the health sites being blocked from sharing information, important resources like the Facebook page for the National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service also comes up blank too.

Facebook’s decision to ban news on the platform goes beyond publishers being able to share traditional news, it has now affected Australians and their ability to access important information.

So, Which Outlets Are Affected By The Ban?

While there’s no exhaustive list available of the sites that have fallen victim to Facebook’s ban of Australian news content, here is a sample of some of the sites currently barred from posting:

  • Traditional news sites like: Junkee, Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Mail Australia, 9 News, SBS Australia, ABC, Pedestrian, BuzzFeed Australia, VICE Australia, Crikey, among many others.
  • Lifestyle sites like : Broadsheet, Concrete Playground, realestate.com.au, and Domain.
  • Satire sites like: Betoota Advocate, The Chaser, The Shovel
  • Public service pages and government organisations like: Bureau of Meteorology, Fire and Rescue NSW, Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA, and ACT Government.
  • Shopping sites like: Harvey Norman.
  • Sports pages like: ESPN Australia / NZ, Cricket Australia, and AFL Women’s (but not the male-focused AFL page).
  • Health organisations like: Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Danila Dilba Health Service, Queensland Health, SA Health, 1800RESPECT, and Hobart Women’s Shelter.
  • First Nations media organisations like: NITV, First Nations Media Australia, Caama Alice Springs, Bumma Bippera Media 987fm

In statement addressing the large number of pages suddenly getting restricted, a Facebook spokesperson shared that the company have “taken a broad definition” to respect the proposed legislation.

“As the law does not provide clear guidance on the definition of news content, we have taken a broad definition in order to respect the law as drafted,” the spokesperson said.

“However, we will reverse any pages that are inadvertently impacted.”

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Michelle Rennex is a senior writer for Junkee. She tweets at @michellerennex