Recently, the Canadian news media organized a “Disappearing Headlines” campaign to boycott global technology giants Google and Facebook. As part of the campaign, nearly 100 newspapers of all sizes across the country published blank front pages on Thursday, Feb. 4.
Studies show that Google and Facebook take more than 80% of digital advertising revenue, but refuse to pay media outlets that produce news content, leaving the traditional newspaper industry challenged and even on the verge of bankruptcy.
The purpose of this campaign by News Media Canada, in association with the national newspaper industry, is to provide the public with an explanation of the harm to journalism and democracy caused by the monopoly of search engine Google and social media Facebook, giants that refuse to pay a fair price for content created by Canadian news media. The media community says it costs money to generate the truth.
A related report published on the official website of the Canadian Newspaper Association says that Facebook and Google are effectively monopolizing digital advertising bilaterally, giving them an advantage in the marketplace as well as power.
The Free Times reported that Rongqin Shen, an associate professor at the University of York, said in a Facebook post that when he went to a newsstand to buy a newspaper, he unexpectedly found that all the front pages of the newspapers were blank. Except for the name of the paper and a small paragraph at the bottom of the paper, all the papers were “pure white”.
Mr. Shen stressed that countless newspapers have gone bankrupt and hundreds of journalists have lost their jobs, while the technology giants sitting in Silicon Valley continue to reap high profits without any responsibility.
A netizen named Ke Zongcheng wrote: It’s Time for global resistance against Facebook!
Another netizen named Chen Ai wrote: Digital media platforms are not responsible for content production and are not accountable for content, yet they dominate the prioritization of news exposure and even have the ability to block news, just like out-of-control monsters.
Canadian news media are calling on the federal government to take action, arguing that the best solution is for Canada to follow Australia’s lead and pass legislation that would allow newspapers to negotiate fair prices with Google and Facebook for the use of their content, with Canada imposing large fines on them if the other refuses to cooperate.
Last December, Australia prepared legislation requiring Google and Facebook to pay local media organizations for news content to ensure that the digital world aligns with real-world norms, which was widely supported by the Australian political establishment and has now been sent to a Senate committee. Prior to this, there was no such law globally. If Google and Facebook are unable to reach a commercial sex agreement, the companies will be forced to accept mandatory arbitration prices and will face millions of dollars in fines.
Earlier this year in February, Microsoft said that it fully supports this proposed legislation in Australia.
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