08 Informed


News Update


Zuckerberg’s bully-boy tactics pay off for him


Mark Zukerberg (pictured) received international approbation for pulling the plug on Facebook in Australia because the government was voting to make it pay for the news content it carried. Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general


secretary, said: “Te bully boy tactics of Mark Zuckerberg must be resisted. Tech platforms should pay for journalism and compensate the newspapers and journalism they have almost destroyed. Te NUJ’s News Recovery Plan calls for a global recalibration of the media industry and renewed commitments to press freedom. Tis includes regulating


unfetered platforms which provide a voice for dangerous conspiracy theorists and information deliberately planted to undermine nation states’ elections. It is time that governments stood together to protect ethical journalism and a plural, independent press which plays a crucial role in democracy.” Facebook’s move heralded a salvo of


the war between the tech giants and democratic states for the future of news journalism and the regulation of disinformation and misinformation on social media platforms. Facebook has been notoriously slow to take down posts from anti-vaxxers and posts peddling


lies. Zuckerberg was shooting across the bows of other jurisdictions, including France, the EU, US and Canada, looking to bring in laws to rein in the powers and regulate the tech giants. Congressman David Cicilline, chair of the US’s antitrust commitee, who had taken evidence from Zuckerberg last summer said his latest move was “not compatible with democracy”. In the UK, Facebook was condemned by Julian Knight, chair of the all-party DCMS commitee, and the newspaper industry’s Media News Association. Te Irish Times said Zuckerberg had acted “like a child, taking its ball and walking off the pitch”.


Scot Morrison, Australia’s prime minister, said he would not be intimidated by Facebook, but capitulated to the platform’s demands and the ban was reversed. Rupert Murdoch had lobbied hard


for the law, supported by the industry. Google had made similar threats to pull out of Australia, but instead made deals with media company Nine Entertainment and Murdoch’s News Corp, including not only his Australian newspapers but titles in the UK and America. Google’s News Showcase programme pays for content and has deals with more than 120 publications in the UK, but Michelle Stanistreet said publishers should receive finance to improve plurality and diversity. Te NUJ has called for a levy on the tech giants to fund public interest journalism.


Covid-19 in NI Te Northern Ireland Assembly’s All Party Group on Press Freedom and Media Sustainability is holding an inquiry into the economic impact of the pandemic on media organisations and journalists. It also wants to know how best the NI


executive should interact with local media and solve the long- term challenges to media sustainability. Te union is encouraging members to take part. Find out more on the NUJ website: Te deadline for writen submissions is 26 March 2021 htps://www.nuj. org.uk/resource/ni-assembly-


call-for-evidence-on-media- sustainability.html


Menacing threats Te union called on the authorities in Northern Ireland to take action to identify and punish those who consistently threaten journalists. Te latest incident


was graffiti appearing across East Belfast with the name of Sunday World journalist Patricia Devlin accompanied by the image of a crosshair of a gun. Te NUJ’s Equality Council has put forward an emergency motion in support of Patricia at the TUC’s Women’s Conference.


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