As of today, Thursday 18 February 2021, Facebook has restricted Australian news outlets from publishing content on its platform. This is in response to the proposed laws by the Australian Government that would require technology companies to pay for news content.

What Facebook’s news ban means

As well as news outlets losing their Facebook pages and no longer being able to publish content on its platform, the ban also means:

  • Facebook users in Australia are unable to access content from international outlets
  • Users are unable to share content, not just news outlets
  • A number of other organisations that Facebook has deemed to share news on its platform (i.e not for profits, emergency services, community services, local government) have also had content on their Facebook accounts limited

You can read the announcement from Facebook, as well as further coverage from the ABC.

How to keep sharing news

While these restrictions are in place, we encourage you to keep sharing news coverage featuring your organisation to your other social media channels or via a blog on your website.

We are working with publishers to discuss the impact this will have on any of our clients’ paid media partnerships too.

Need help?

If you have any questions or need support navigating these changes, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.