In a letter that was hard-hitting, British newspaper groups warned about the impact of Meta’s decision on democracy and the society.
In a letter to former British Minister Nick Clegg who is the president of Meta global affairs, the group warned that their decision was an “urgent danger to democracy” by choking off trusted news.
The News Media Association sent a letter on Thursday saying that the move would be “financially detrimental” to newspapers, and also “deeply concern for democracy and society”.
The letter was sent to Lucy Frazer, the culture minister, and Michelle Donelan (the technology minister) as well. Clegg was the former leader of the Liberal Democrat Party and deputy prime minister for the UK coalition government between 2010 and 2015.
Meta announced this month it would remove Facebook News , the dedicated tab that displays news stories on Facebook in Europe. Meta also said that they would stop funding local journalism in the UK and scrap the dedicated tab.
The company said this was a part of a “continuing effort to better align investments with our products and services that people value”.
It said that the News tab accounts for less than 3% of what Facebook users see. “So news discovery is only a small portion of the Facebook experience of the vast majority”. When contacted, it declined to comment.
In a letter, the NMA stated: “If users cannot find genuine news that is editorially controlled on platforms they are searching for, the society suffers.”
It said, citing the UK general elections next year: “These deliberate acts pose an urgent danger to democracy by choking trustworthy news — both for the media industry financially and for audiences who are accustomed to trusting you for information.
The NMA represents £4bn of news media. The NMA’s members publish over 900 titles of news media, including The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mirror as well as The Manchester Evening News and The Sheffield Star, and The Yorkshire Post.
Jim Mullen is the chief executive officer of Mirror and Express, which is owned by Reach.
The NMA called for a Meta meeting to discuss ways it can help news publishers, and distribute reliable news and information.
Meta has also decided to not renew its funding of the Community News Project. This is a program that supports journalism within underserved areas. Meta has donated $17mn over the last five years to the CNP.
The NMA stated that Meta acknowledged the “important role Facebook plays” in how people obtain their news when it launched CNP. The letter stated: “Even though Meta’s interest in news may have waned over the years, platforms like Facebook remain key sources of news for millions and voters alike.”
Meta has already removed Instant Articles from the Facebook app. This mobile-friendly format was credited with the steep decline in digital revenues at publishers like Reach.
The NMA stated that Meta’s decision not to prioritise authoritative news sources within its feed has “further harmed the ability of publishers to attract and monetise visitors”.
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