Montreal, Canada – Journalist and public relations federations in the Canadian province of Quebec are calling on the public to join a one-day boycott of Meta-owned social media platforms over the company’s ban on news-sharing in Canada.
The Federation of Professional Journalists of Quebec said Friday’s so-called “Day without Meta” – coinciding with International Day of Democracy – aimed to send a message that “Quebec will not let itself be intimidated and will continue to support local media and journalists”.
“By blocking news, Meta is not allowing citizens to access credible information and that greatly concerns us,” Patrick Howe, president of the Quebec Society of Public Relations Professionals, said in a statement last week.
Meta – the owner of Facebook and Instagram – imposed a news blackout in Canada on August 1 over a new law that would have required the company to pay Canadian media outlets for content shared on its platforms.
The government has said the Online News Act aims to help a struggling Canadian media industry that has faced mass layoffs in recent years while making social media giants pay their fair share.
Article from www.aljazeera.com