As you may have heard this morning, Facebook has implemented a news ban overnight that is restricting Australians and Australian businesses from sharing or viewing news content through its platform.
This news ban is in response to proposed laws that would force companies like Facebook and Google to pay for content from news organisations. You may also have seen the announcement about Google’s deal with Nine Entertainment, the owner of the Nine Network but also online news sites and print media including The Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Financial Review. Media reports have also pointed to discussions occurring with other news businesses including Seven West Media News Corporation, Guardian, Daily Mail and others.
At this stage, all personal and business Facebook pages will be impacted in their ability to post news content – including media coverage received through online, print, TV and radio sources. We want to assure you that BBS is closely monitoring the situation and will be adjusting our digital and communication strategies to maximise the impact of your message.
What do the news deals mean for you and your company?
- You will stop seeing news articles and videos in your Facebook news feed almost immediately.
- You will still be able to find the Facebook pages for your news sources like the Australian Financial Review, The Australian and even international sources etc. via a Facebook search, however all of their content has been stripped from their pages for Australian audiences.
- You will still be able to view government media releases on Facebook, as well as screenshots of news articles (however this is against copyright law).
- You will no longer be able to post news articles in your feed or across your business pages.
- If you or your business’ Facebook page has previously shared content from a news source’s Facebook page, this will no longer be visible. Facebook has begun removing past media articles that were previously posted.
We will continue to keep you informed as this situation unfolds. Please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have any questions about how this change will impact your individual circumstances.
