Meta Dug In
As of Jan. 1, Meta’s boycott of Canadian news organizations on its Facebook platform continued in response to the federal government’s Bill C-18, which requires online platforms to compensate news organization for use of their content.
While Google reached a deal to allocate $100-million to news providers under C-18, Meta has dug in its heels. A recent study by the Media Ecosystem Observatory out of McGill University and the University of Toronto found that views of Canadian news on Facebook dropped 90 per cent after the ban was introduced.
Committee to Protect Journalists urges action to protect journalists in Gaza
After Israeli strike killed Al Jazeera journalists Hamza Wael Dahdouh and Moustafa Thuraya in South Gaza on Jan. 7, the Committee to Protect Journalists is demanding an independent investigation into whether the Israeli Defence Force is targeting journalists in Gaza.
The Israel-Gaza war has taken an unprecedented toll on the media community. Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, Israeli strikes have killed at least 81 journalists in the Gaza Strip of whom at least 18 in the course of their work.
WPFC and other media organizations have urged all parties to refrain from targeting journalists doing trier jobs to report facts of the conflict to the world.
UNESCO urges human rights approach in regulation of digital platforms
Press freedom is also threatened by the growth of online disinformation and hate speech aimed at threatening and intimidating journalists.
The United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently released its Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms, which aim to provide a framework for safeguarding freedom of expression and access to information online.
UNESCO is the lead UN agency for the promotion and protection of press freedom and access to information and consulted with 135 countries in producing its guidelines.
The guidelines include guidance for states, digital platforms, intergovernmental organizations and civil society. UNESCO says platforms should adhere to International human rights standards including content moderation and curation; be transparent and be accountable to relevant stakeholders.
Russia’s Putin says he’s looking for deal to free Wall Street Journal’s Gershkovich
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia wants “to reach an agreement” on the return of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is currently in Russian custody on an allegation of espionage that he, The Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny.
