Thoughts on BC Politics and More

When Meta banned the news from its platforms in Canada, it was a huge blow to traditional media — and a massive boost for independent journalists like me. There’s just one problem: not all of those who call themselves independent journalists are, well, like me. Starting in the summer of 2023, Meta blocked Canadian news organizations and links to news stories in reaction to federal legislation requiring platforms to pay journalism companies. Now, Canadians are met with a familiar message when they try to look at any news organization’s page or posts on Instagram or Facebook: “People in Canada can’t see this content.” While it’s true that Canadians craving journalism with published ethical standards and professional guidelines can still seek it out, that now requires the oh-so-arduous extra step of typing in a URL. The odds of Canadians stumbling across an intriguing headline in between scrolling through selfies, though, have taken a nosedive. Instead, they see me ... CLICK HERE for the...

The Liberal government’s Online News Act, which passed in 2023, was designed to help Canadian media, demanding that tech giants pay for the use of content. Google struck a deal, paying $100 million to an assortment of media companies. But Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, refused to pay, figuring that the best way to avoid shelling out cash to the Canadian media was to block it from its platforms. With Meta, the Online News Act massively backfired. Now high-quality, fact-checked journalism is nowhere to be found on Facebook, which is the most popular social media platform in Canada with approximately 30 million users. The internet is a splintered, chaotic cesspool of misinformation, and professional news outlets have a much harder time reaching audiences. Weeks away from the election, voters struggle to separate fact from fiction ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Despite overblown government rhetoric, wildfire evacuations proceeded apace even without news on Facebook   There is only one option left for rational people trying to make sense of Canada’s internet policies and the politicians who defend them.     That is to take disbelief and suspend it—ideally where it won’t interfere with the fictions swirling around the Online News Act like late summer wasps at a picnic table.     The act known as Bill C-18 is based on the assumed truth of the unproven allegation that Big Tech companies help themselves to the content produced by news organizations and refuse to share the profits they accrue from that larceny.      Always wobbly, that cornerstone assumption has turned out to be pure fantasy ...     CLICK HERE for the full story  

  CBC/Radio-Canada has joined other news publishers and broadcasters in requesting that Canada's Competition Bureau investigate Meta's decision to block news content on its digital platforms in Canada, describing the social media giant's decision as "anticompetitive." Meta, which owns platforms like Facebook and Instagram, announced recently that it is permanently ending news availability for users in Canada in response to the country's Online News Act, or Bill C-18, a law that requires tech companies like Google and Meta to pay media outlets for news content they share or otherwise repurpose on their platforms. Critics of Bill C-18, including Meta and Google, say it's unfair, unworkable and amounts to a tax on links, with no recognition of the traffic or "free marketing" the tech companies provide to news publishers. Meta has previously said that the only way it can "reasonably comply with this legislation is to end news availab...