Matt Hancock backs countries calling for Facebook to pay for its news

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden will reportedly meet with Facebook executives this week
Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock leaves Downing Street in London
REUTERS
April Roach @aprilroach2822 February 2021

Matt Hancock has said he is a “great admirer” of countries that have proposed laws compelling tech giants to pay for journalism.

Facebook pulled all news content from its platform in Australia as the country’s politicians considered forcing digital businesses to reach paid-for-news agreements with media companies with draft legislation that could create a so-called News Media Bargaining Code.

When asked on Times Radio if Britain should follow Australia’s example, Mr Hancock said: “I have very strong views on this.

“All I can say is that I’m a great admirer of Australia and Canada. I think this is a very important matter and I’ve got no doubt the culture secretary will be looking at it very closely.”

A senior Government source told the Times that the Government needs to follow a process and that is why ministers are “consulting”.

“We are certainly not ruling out Australian-style legislation to fix the imbalance in the relationship between big tech companies and news organisations,” said the source.

It has been reported that Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden will meet with Facebook’s executives this week following the platform’s ban of news in Australia.

The ban not only affects people in Australia accessing news by the country’s publishers and broadcasters via Facebook, but also their access to international news content.

The country’s new code would create an arbitration panel to set a binding price for news in situations where Google and Facebook do not reach deals with media businesses whose original journalism they link to.

In announcing its news ban, Facebook said the proposed legislation “fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers”.

Media giant News Corp has struck a deal for Google to pay it for news as Australian politicians debate amended legislation to create the code.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison Visits Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Vaccination Hub
Scott Morrison recently said Facebook had ‘friended’ Australia again after the platform returned to the negotiating table
Getty Images

MP Julian Knight, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee, on Thursday said: “Facebook’s actions in Australia should be of great concern in the UK at a time when our own Government is bringing forward legislation to regulate social media companies.

“Facebook has shown its absolute disregard for the public interest, being all too ready to use its power to further its own agenda.

“The DCMS Committee is deeply concerned that trusted news sources are promoted, to combat the scourge of misinformation and will be ensuring the Online Harms legislation is tough enough on this.”

A social media expert has warned news accessed by Facebook’s UK users could be hit by similar bans if current relations between big tech and publishers turn sour in the future.

Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, told the PA news agency that the UK faces “no immediate threat” of similar action because of the launch of Facebook News – an initiative in which the firm has paid the likes of Channel 4 News, Daily Mail Group, DC Thomson, Financial Times, Sky News and Telegraph Media Group for content.

Brokering such agreements with publishers in the UK means there is a “stable relationship” for now, but Mr Navarra warns that deals could crumble in the future if one side feels the scheme is no longer worthwhile, especially if other countries like Australia set an example.

But a Facebook spokesperson told the Evening Standard: “The UK has taken a very different approach to Australia which has allowed us to strike commercial deals with almost every major UK publisher.

“We are now paying tens of millions of pounds to national and local outlets in the UK to be part of Facebook News, the dedicated tab for quality journalism we launched last month.

“We’ve also extended the Community News Project, which funds 80 trainee reporters in local newsrooms across the country.”

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