'Important for us to be aware': How Meta's news ban could impact Manitobans

With a provincial election on the horizon and wildfires blazing across the country, it’s important for Manitobans to stay informed.

However, some residents may need to find new ways to consume information after Meta blocked news on Facebook and Instagram for Canadian users. This decision was due to Bill C-18, which requires tech companies to compensate media organizations if they want to have Canadian news content on their platforms.

“Meta’s response was, ‘No, we don’t want to do that,’ so we’re just going to pull news content altogether,” said social media manager Tayler Francisco in an interview on Monday.

With this ban, if Canadians look up news outlets on Facebook or Instagram they will see a message that says, “In response to Canadian government legislation, news content can’t be viewed in Canada."

According to Francisco, this ban has come at a time when it’s especially important for Manitobans to stay up to date with what’s going on in the news.

“We go to social media to connect, to be inspired, to stay informed,” she said.

“We’re in a year right now where we have an election, there are fires blazing across Canada. It’s important for us to be aware of these things.”

FEELING THE IMPACTS

Francisco noted that newcomers and youth may be disproportionately impacted by the ban.

She said this is because studies have found that many newcomers rely on social media as their primary news source.

“They’re going to social media to stay informed and they might just not know [about the ban], because they don’t know what our news outlets are called here,” she said.

In terms of young people, she said they’re in the habit of checking social media for information.

“That’s going to be a hard habit to form after so many years of just easily getting it on Instagram or Facebook,” she said.

For those who are looking to find other ways to access the news, Francisco suggests going directly to the source. This includes watching the news on TV, tuning into the radio, downloading news apps, or going to the website.

GOVERNMENT DEMANDS

Last week, the Canadian government demanded that Meta lift the ban on domestic news so people could share information about wildfires.

In response, a Meta spokesperson said the company has activated a safety check feature on Facebook to allow users to inform others that they are safe. They said Canadians can use Facebook and Instagram to access information from government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organizations.

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace and Reuters.