How Bill C-18 May Impact News Amplification
In June, the federal government enacted a new law called Bill C-18 (the Online News Act) and its implications could reshape the way media is accessed and retained, broadly impacting businesses and organizations.
What is Bill C-18?
The bill requires large tech platforms like Meta and Google that distribute news stories to compensate the news organizations responsible for that content.
Prior to Bill C-18, these platforms have embedded news articles on their sites without directing traffic to news websites, dramatically impacting the journalism industry.
The bill does not dictate how, or how much, platforms should pay news organizations - that will be negotiated among the companies.
The law is limited to Canada but similar fights have been going on in Europe and Australia and our legislation is modelled after the latter. The bill received royal assent in June and is expected to take effect in January 2024.
What Types of Business Will Be Impacted?
Many Canadians access news content through ‘digital intermediaries’ versus directly from the news outlets that produce news content.
Bill C-18 is intended to regulate any digital platforms that act as these intermediaries, making news content produced by news outlets available to Canadians. This will include search engines and social media platforms.
Meta Fights Back
In June, Meta announced it would block access to news on its social media sites for all Canadian users before Bill C-18 actually comes into force rather than negotiate with government or companies.
It reportedly has already begun to do so as a test on a portion of users. And in July, some B.C. media companies lost access to their social media accounts, including The Tyee and CHEK News, advised by Meta that ‘People in Canada can’t see your content.’
The federal government is fighting back by suspending all advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
Publications that make the delivery of news their main focus will be most affected by Google and Meta blocking content.
What Effect Will This Have on Accessing News Content?
It’s still not entirely clear how Canadian news businesses will be affected when the bill comes into effect.
But there are some immediate steps you can take to ensure you’re still able to access Canadian news content:
Sign up to news outlets’ newsletters
Bookmark your favourite news sites
Download news outlets’ apps
Follow news outlets on other social platforms like TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn
Some believe Bill C-18 could actually be an opportunity for smaller, local publications to flourish. You can show additional support for local and national news outlets by:
Subscribing to their digital or print publication
Supporting their advertisers
Making a donation to the organization
Tuning into morning or evening news
Following reporters and journalists on social
Organizations that may be impacted can take similar steps to protect their interests and ensure they’re still reaching their audience:
Encourage your audience to sign-up for your newsletter and build your newsletter list. Here are some tools to get you started.
Tell customers to bookmark your homepage and newsroom so you aren’t relying on social media or Google to direct traffic to your website.
Ask your audience to follow you on your other social accounts like TikTok and LinkedIn. Don’t be afraid to show a little personality!
Spread awareness about Bill C-18 and how it could impact Canadians.
Ask for customer feedback. Are they seeing what you’re posting or are they receiving error messages?
In addition to amplifying their news coverage on owned channels, organizations can also explore other storytelling avenues, like influencer partnerships, curated events, and branded pop-ups.
