During the Tout un matin program at ICI Première, La Presse President Pierre-Elliott Levasseur acknowledged that agreements had already been reached between Facebook and several Canadian media outlets, including the Toronto Star and even Le Devoir, but that was the case there is still a long way to go.
Bill C-18 is a win for us because it will force Google and Meta [la maison-mère de Facebook, NDLR] He stressed that they had to negotiate the “fair market value” of the journalistic content published on their networks.
La Presse had been trying to reach an agreement with the two digital giants for years, Mr Levasseur recalled. Vain.
It is Google and Facebook who are currently deciding who are the winners and who are the losers. They are the ones who unilaterally decided that they would make an agreement with Le Devoir, with the CN2i group or with the Toronto Star, but we at La Presse were talking to certain players at the time, all of a sudden , they decided that they would Ending discussions without any explanation, he added.
This also applies to many weeklies across the country: there is no agreement. Google and Facebook decide whether or not a news agency makes an agreement.
“Before the threat of Bill C-18, there was no deal in Canada. »
– A quote from Pierre-Elliott Levasseur, President of La Presse
However, according to Mr Levasseur, the content of the agreements already concluded between GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft) and the media is confidential.
Content will be blocked within a few months
On Thursday, after announcing passage of Bill C-18, Meta announced that the company would carry out its threat and block Canadian media content on its platform.
After the adoption of a bill, a period of six months is provided for the entry into force.
When asked about the timeline — an initial statement merely suggesting that Meta would block content — the Mark Zuckerberg-led company said the process would stretch over a period of several months.
In the wake of Facebook’s backlash, Canadian Culture Minister Pablo Rodriguez tweeted that Facebook was fully aware that it had no legal obligation at the moment. Following royal approval of Bill C-18, the government will begin a regulatory and enforcement process.
An impact on our democracy
What if Meta actually blocked news media content from here? We’ll live with that, said Pierre-Elliott Levasseur.
But the problem, he says, is that 30% of Canadians get news through Facebook; They consult credible media, but are also confronted with dubious sources or even outright fake news.
Pierre-Elliott Levasseur, President of La Presse. (archive photo)
Photo: The Canadian Press / Paul Chiasson
When Facebook announces that credible media outlets will no longer produce information from professional journalists, it opens the floodgates to dubious sources and misinformation. To me that is completely irresponsible. […] “It’s not about the impact on La Presse, it’s an impact on our democracy, an attack on our democracy,” Mr Levasseur continued.
And I think the only reason they’re doing this is to avoid similar regulations in the United States, in Europe, or anywhere else, he pointed out.
Meta would therefore take Canadians hostage in hopes of intimidating the European and American governments.
Ultimately, the president of La Presse hopes that Meta negotiates in good faith; They did it in Australia… I don’t think Meta is questioning the value of our information; I think it’s a broader tactic.
Quebecor President and Chief Executive Officer Pierre Karl Péladeau said in a press release that the launch of C-18 is a major milestone for the news media, which has been fighting for several years to get internet giants to pay their fair share.
Mr. Péladeau also called on the web giants to immediately enter into good faith negotiations so that the news media can continue to provide reliable, quality content to Canadians.
It’s unfortunate, even despicable, that Meta is using its market dominance to block access to local media information, thereby holding subscribers hostage in Canada, he added, while raising the barricades.
A snub to the Canadian state
Alain Saulnier, a journalist and former head of information at Radio Canada, also doesn’t like Meta’s decision.
In an interview with Midi Info, Mr Saulnier concluded that the threat to block the content was merely a snub to the Canadian state, which was unacceptable.
“It’s a way of showing that we are stronger than the state, stronger than the law, stronger than government,” Mr Saulnier said again.
For years, Alain Saulnier has castigated those who call him “digital barbarians”.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Etienne Côté-Paluck
In the latter case, Meta’s position could be confused with a negotiating stance. Eventually, he recalled, the social network in Australia did the same when it passed legislation similar to C-18. Negotiations then took place between the company and Canberra.
However, if an agreement is never reached with Ottawa and Meta actually blocks Canadian media content, Alain Saulnier believes it would have a huge impact on democracy here, as well as the quality of information people have access to.
“We know very well that people under 35 get their messages mainly through social networks,” he recalled. How then can this part of the population get the most comprehensive possible overview of the news when the main source of information blocks the professional media?
This whole situation, Mr Saulnier reiterated, is due to the fact that states, including Canada, have practiced a laissez-faire policy towards digital platforms. Is it still possible to deal with these digital giants that, according to Alain Saulnier, refuse any regulation?
Maybe, maybe it’s not too late. Perhaps states should come together to take on the digital giants. It’s not too late, but we have to act, he says.
The status quo was no longer tenable
At the Quebec Journalists’ Association (FPJQ), we warmly welcome the introduction of C-18. The status quo is no longer tenable, says the organization’s president, Michael Nguyen.
In fifteen years, social networks have slowly but surely become a must.
According to him, Facebook has taken up space without really knowing how much.
The journalist and president of the professional association of journalists of Quebec, Michaël Nguyen (archive)
Photo: Radio Canada
In fact, today a large part of the Canadian population gets their information on Facebook by reading the publications of the local media.
At some point they will have to pay back their share. It is worth remembering that the digital giants monopolize around 80% of advertising revenue; It is an amount leaving Canada and not coming back, Mr Nguyen said.
In contrast, the traditional media model is to use funds raised from advertising to fund newsrooms; Now that’s no longer possible because Facebook has become a giant more powerful than states, so much so that they believe they have the legitimacy to dictate how the state should run the country, the president said of the FPJQ.
Has the media dug their own grave by turning to social networks to publish their content? Just say “Yes, in a way”; I draw a parallel with photographers who are offered a “job” by being told, “Hey, it’s going to pay off in exposure, so we’re not going to pay you.” The media saw it as a way to sell their content to show and gain visibility, Mr Nguyen recalled.
However, over time it is no longer a question of visibility, but a question of income. Because Facebook has monopolized all the advertising revenue that makes it possible to create information. We’re in a situation where we’re, yes, a little stuck. The media is in crisis, it’s nothing new, but the problem is that Facebook’s model is one of emotions.
“Democracy is fragile”
All of this makes it possible to draw a parallel with a healthy democracy, Mr Nguyen continued. We need to be informed because what else are we basing our vote on? To the speakers who say anything and everything? Journalists conduct fact-checking, which he says is essential.
In this equation, Facebook is a must. Should we tell ourselves that it’s not a bad thing that a large part of the population is no longer looking for information? These people will still vote! It depends on who screams the loudest, who evokes the most emotion… [Celui-là] will have the greatest visibility and will eventually be seen by everyone. And what does not cause a dispute, the algorithm will forget, denounced the President of the FPJQ.
Something has to be done because we have seen that democracy is fragile […] That’s why C-18 is essential.