4 April 2024
By Hannah Wilcox
Smaller local publishers would be disproportionately affected should Meta remove news content from Facebook and Instagram in response to government designation, with the Australian public bearing the brunt of the impact, the Local and Independent News Association said.
Most small publishers were excluded from the opportunity to engage in commercial deals for funding from Meta under the news media bargaining code, with the primary hurdle being the high threshold of the revenue test for news media organisations. Smaller publishers and diverse voices will be the ones bearing the brunt of the new move to remove news content from Meta platforms, most notably Facebook and Instagram, it said on Wednesday.
It claims most smaller and local publishers were not given the opportunity to engage in commercial deals for funding from Meta under the news media bargaining code.
This will have a serious impact on the revenue of news media organisations who rely on social media driven traffic.
North Sydney Sun will be one of them, reaching readers through Facebook presently.
LINA said government support would be needed to counter this financial loss and support newsrooms to strengthen alternative income sources and transition to new ones.
“Local newsrooms have everything to lose, but very little to gain from designation,” LINA Executive Director Claire Stuchbery said.
“These local and independent media publishers play a critical role within their communities, combating misinformation and disinformation, supporting community health and safety (including emergency preparedness and resilience), promoting workforce development and fostering social cohesion and civic engagement.”
She added: “They are also key to platforming diverse voices and experiences, as these tend to be the most affected by the closure of larger newsrooms and the rising syndication of content.”
Stuchbery said the blocking of news content on social media would not only affect the viability of existing news publishers, but the ability of new ones to start-up and build audiences.
“[This is] further consolidating what is already one of the most concentrated media markets in the world,” she continued.
“Government has a responsibility to help guarantee public access to healthy and diverse information and communications systems, and financial support should be provided to newsrooms should Meta be designated.”
“This support is key not just to the survival of smaller newsrooms, but to the overall health and functioning of Australian democracy.”