Residents of the Northwest Territories are feeling the effect of the news vacuum on Facebook as they flee communities that are under threat by wildfires.
Up to 50 per cent of Canadians use Facebook to find out what害羞草研究所檚 happening in cities and towns across the country, Dwayne Winseck, professor of communication and media studies at Carleton University, said Thursday in an interview.
Meta害羞草研究所檚 decision to block news in Canada is irresponsible, especially in times of crisis, he said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 reprehensible.害羞草研究所�
An emergency situation such as the fires in the Northwest Territories underscores the importance of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in disseminating news, Winseck said. 害羞草研究所淲hen these pathways to news are brutally shut down, as they have been with Meta, banning the distribution and sharing of news on its services here in Canada, we are right to be very concerned.害羞草研究所�
Yellowknife害羞草研究所檚 20,000 residents and two nearby First Nations were ordered to evacuate by noon on Friday, as crews battled more than 200 blazes in the Northwest Territories. The wildfires have burned an area about four times the size of Prince Edward Island, but no deaths have been reported.
Meanwhile, news outlets have been unable to post on Meta害羞草研究所檚 social media sites since earlier this month after the digital giant, in response to federal legislation, began rolling out its restrictions on Canadian news. The federal government害羞草研究所檚 Online News Act requires some tech giants to pay for news content shared or repurposed on their platforms. In response, Meta decided it would simply block news to evade the law害羞草研究所檚 reach.
Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez expressed his frustration Friday at the effect the news ban is having on those evacuating the Northwest Territories.
害羞草研究所淲hat Meta is doing is totally unacceptable, and I warned them during the conversations in the past of the risk of blocking news,害羞草研究所� Rodriguez, who sponsored the Online News Act when he was heritage minister, told a news conference.
He said Meta should rethink its decision immediately, and he urged Canadians to turn to local radio stations or the CBC to get updates on the fires.
In a statement Thursday, Meta said that Canadians can use its platform to get help and check on loved ones in times of crisis.
害羞草研究所淧eople in Canada can continue to use our technologies to connect with their communities and access reputable information, including content from official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organizations,害羞草研究所� the company said in an unsigned email.
But Canadians can no longer access news on Facebook. Daniel Tsai, a lecturer in communication, culture, information and technology at the University of Toronto, said Meta害羞草研究所檚 actions are harming society and putting people害羞草研究所檚 lives at risk.
害羞草研究所淧eople are not getting critical information such as what害羞草研究所檚 happening in Yellowknife, with the prospect of an entire town being burned down. It害羞草研究所檚 insane,害羞草研究所� Tsai said.
害羞草研究所淵ou have a town of 20,000 people that could be wiped out of existence, and no one can get any information on it through using social media apps like (Facebook). It strikes me that this is a terrible decision by Meta. It shows how heartless and oblivious they are to their responsibility to society as a large corporation.害羞草研究所�
For media industry observers like Jeffrey Dvorkin, former director of the journalism program at the University of Toronto, the lack of news options for Canadians was a reality long before Meta害羞草研究所檚 ban. The dearth of local news on social media platforms like Facebook merely reflects a larger crisis in the country害羞草研究所檚 media ecosystem.
Local newsrooms in the North and the rest of the country have been deeply damaged by years of declining advertising revenue, which has largely migrated to companies like Meta and Google.
The danger here, Dvorkin said, is that people will be forced to rely on information that cannot always be verified.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e in a real dilemma,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淎nd we害羞草研究所檙e going to see that now, especially with the whole city of Yellowknife being evacuated. Where are people going to get their information? How are they going to find out what害羞草研究所檚 the best way to get out of there? What is the state of the fires?害羞草研究所�
One of the reasons why Facebook is popular as a news source, Tsai said, is because it collects people害羞草研究所檚 personal information and preferences, and its algorithms spit out messages tailored to that person. Big tech and social media platforms, he said, have used that knowledge not just to become dominant players but also to change people害羞草研究所檚 news consumption and entertainment habits.
Tsai said for the short term, people can go directly to news websites and get verified and reliable information.
害羞草研究所淧eople can consume news back the way it was before Meta and other social media platforms took over complete dominance,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淲e have to relearn how to make the wheel.害羞草研究所�
In the long term, he said, Canadian media companies could unite to create their own social media platform and shun companies such as Meta and Google.
害羞草研究所淚 think now is the time to get creative, and not necessarily rely on government to come up with solutions 害羞草研究所� but to take another approach, which would be co-operating among competitors to leverage as many viewers or readers as possible,害羞草研究所� he said.
害羞草研究所淗ave this coalition of news so that they work together and build a platform where they can all profit from it. That害羞草研究所檚 my take on it.害羞草研究所�
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