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Fewer shares, fewer likes and fewer views coming to the Eagle Feather News Facebook page is a cause for concern for the small newspaper’s editor and co-owner.
Bill C-18 requires Canada’s online news platforms to pay for news content. Meta, the parent company for social media apps like Facebook and Instagram, decided not to pay and therefore has blocked news.
“Right now, I’m really fearful moving forward how this is going to affect our bottom line, and whether we can continue to function without social media,” said Kerry Benjoe of Eagle Feather News.
Eagle Feather News is a small newspaper that serves all Indigenous people in Saskatchewan. The Indigenous-focused news outlet only prints 10,000 papers because of the cost to print.
Benjoe said it’s “quite the conundrum” to be able to figure out a plan to reach people on social media.
“We rely on social media to amplify our stories (and to reach) a broader audience because we can’t reach everybody with our paper,” said Benjoe. “We have been relying on social media to share our stories and it’s cost effective. Up until now, it’s been free.”
Social media was a tool to direct traffic to the website, which helps attract ad revenue for the business.
“These are selling points to keep our business going because we don’t have a big staff,” said Benjoe. “We rely on freelance writers, and we pay the freelancers through the money we generate.”
Suggestions have been made to post stories in the body of the text on Meta while sharing the photo, but that still won’t attract attention to the Eagle Feather News website.
According to Benjoe, the news blocking could not have come at a worse time as federal, provincial and municipal elections all take place next year. All the stories, party platforms and profiles on candidates are made in part to help readers make educated decisions on who they want to see in leadership.
“Journalists are trained. They are well-researched. Everything they produce is well-researched,” said Benjoe. “It’s not opinion-based.”
In 2021, similar news blocking happened with Meta and Google after the Australian government passed legislation that required platforms to pay for news content. Meta and Google blocked the news content only temporarily after striking a deal within a week with the Australian government.
No such deal on the Canadian front has Benjoe hoping the Canadian government can come to an agreement with Meta.
With fewer media shares online, Benjoe worries about misinformation spreading on social media.
“I’m really fearful of the information that is going to be generated on social media. It may be misleading information and people may be voting on that,” said Benjoe.
Benjoe encouraged the public to take an extra step to engage with media outlets to stay informed.
980 CJME and 650 CKOM are among the many outlets being blocked on Meta platforms from sharing news.
But 980 CJME and 650 CKOM aren’t going anywhere. You can get online news stories on radio, online at CJME.com and CKOM.com, and on the free 980 CJME and 650 CKOM app.