This week I joined the editors of Australia's other leading regional newspapers, sending a direct message to our thousands of followers on social media to highlight the risks to our communities if social media giant Meta blocks news in your feed.
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As you may have noticed, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is making Australian news harder to find on its social networks.
News content is being deprioritised in your algorithm-controlled "feed", the dedicated news tab has been removed from Facebook, and Meta says it will withdraw its current funding support for news outlets like ours that share credible local journalism to its users.
If the Albanese government is as good as its word and designates Meta under Australia's News Media Bargaining Code, it's likely that Mark Zuckerberg's $1.7 trillion company will simply block all news content rather than contribute to a sustainable future for Australian journalism. They have already done this in Canada.
A lack of trusted, researched, balanced local journalism on social media platforms terrifies me, and anyone who is passionate about the future of democracy, holding power to account and keeping our communities strong, informed and connected.
Editors from Australian Community Media websites across the country are urging our communities to act now to support the local, quality journalism that matters in your region.
Without the support of our subscribers, the Herald would not have been able to produce the investigative journalism our masthead is known for, such as Donna Page's Scott Neylon letters to the editor investigation, Matthew Kelly's series which revealed a Vietnam vet was living rough on Newcastle's streets for three decades, and reunited a family. And our award winning investigations including the Toxic Truth series, the Foam and the Fury, Your Right to Know, and our Shine the Light campaign, which led to the Royal Commission into Instututional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
There are many ways you can support the Herald's journalism, and ensure you stay connected to the issues that affect you. You can join us here at the Newcastle Herald as a digital subscriber, you can sign up to receive our free news updates via email, or you can download our app, and stay connected on the go.
If you are already a subscriber, thank you. Our team of local journalists wouldn't be able to do what we do without you.
If you follow us on social media, don't rely on an algorithm to show you real news. Visit our website to subscribe or sign up to our newsletters and support the local news you trust.
