Meta defends decision not to pay for using Australian journalism

The digital giant's move to "debunk" its news content shift and statement that it cannot solve long-term challenges facing public interest journalism comes as the Albanese government tries to force it back to the negotiating table after moving to pull out of the News Media Bargaining Code.

Meta has enraged news organisations, including ACM, with a threat it pulled in other nations to end a dedicated feed called Facebook News and no longer pay a $70 million a year set of deals for news content on its platforms. Nine Chair Peter Costello has labelled the threat an "existential" media moment, while news organisations have warned of significant job losses and a potential need for government assistance.

In a blog post, Meta said it was a commercial business and "interest in news is declining on our platforms" and links to news stories are a "very small proportion - less than 3 per cent of the content people see in their Facebook feed".

"The reality is that accessing news is simply not the reason most people use our services," the post reads. "We've seen this recently in Canada where we ended news availability in August 2023. People still come to Facebook even without news on the platform."

It rejected claims that Facebook takes, steals, or "needs or unfairly benefits" from news content, but insisted that news organisations "take advantage" of free publishing on its platforms.

"For example, in 2023 we estimate that Facebook Feed sent Australian publishers more than 2.3 billion free clicks - for no charge - driving an estimated $115 million worth of value," Meta said.

"We don't scrape or pull content from publisher websites, unlike other companies."

Meta also pointed to Facebook algorithms tailoring user "experiences", so a person who engages with news is more likely to see more news-related content. It pointed to people who liked fashion being more likely to see fashion content.

It also rejected claims that news content will be replaced with misinformation or harmful content, pointing to its global fact-checking program and its community standard rules.

"Forcing technology companies into commercial relationships will not solve the long-term challenges facing public interest journalism or encourage the news industry to develop sustainable business models," Meta said.

The government is looking to force Meta back to the negotiating table, but attempts in other nations such as Canada have so far not worked.

Under the bargaining code, the government can "designate" digital platforms, forcing them into mediation to share revenue or face fines.

"There is an expectation under the code framework, and certainly the government has made its expectation very clear, that Meta would continue to engage in good faith with Australian news media publishers," Michelle Rowland told RN Breakfast.

"It's now shown its hand. What we are doing now, because the rules under the code say that if negotiation in good faith should not occur, the law provides the government with the power to designate a platform.

"So, this activates provisions under the code for commercial arbitration over the value of news content."

Meta is also shutting down Facebook News in the United States. This follows similar moves in Germany, France and the UK last year.