# News banned on Australian Facebook pages **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 18, 2021, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185 "2021-02-18T01:04:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2021, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/41 "2021-02-20T12:08:22Z")
…there are no good guys in this story. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/42 "2021-02-20T19:18:15Z")
> [@steepone](#): > > if the social media platform shuts off the country’s news as it did in Australia. How on earth is it “shut[ing] off the country’s news”? All the news sites Facebook’s been linking to are still up and running, no? I’m not on Facebook. But ever since I got internet access I’ve been drowning in news. ---
**Author:** ![steepone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@steepone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steepone)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/43 "2021-02-21T08:17:56Z")
Yes, all other news sources are still up and running, Facebook are only shutting down news channels and links on their platform which is why I don’t see it as a very big deal People who use Facebook as their major source of news may take a while to get used to going to other sites but it shouldn’t take that long ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/44 "2021-02-21T22:03:48Z")
The level of outright bullshit being spouted with a straight face in this debate is beyond even the usual high levels. > [@Melbourne](#): > > So it’s not about money: it’s about control. Who’s in charge: the unions, the government, or trans-national company management? This sort of nonsense is all over the debate, but it makes no sense. Facebook have simply said if they are going to have to pay for certain content they aren’t going to carry that content. Businesses make similar decisions all day every day. For some reason this gets translated as Facebook gaining “control” in some Orwellian sense. Since when has being in control of one’s own business been an Orwellian evil? The reality is that there is a clichéd narrative that Facebook is an evil out of control multinational corporation that cannot be stopped, and no one is letting the facts get in the way of that narrative, here. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/45 "2021-02-21T22:37:16Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > This sort of nonsense is all over the debate, but it makes no sense. Facebook have simply said if they are going to have to pay for certain content they aren’t going to carry that content. I _quoted from a facebook spokesman, on a facebook website_. You may not agree with what facebook is saying, you may think that the kinds of decisions businesses make every day are stupid, but it is what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/46 "2021-02-21T22:39:15Z")
That was in reply to **thorny\_locust**. Sorry I’m still not fully used to the new site. I really don’t have the replying and quoting thing down well. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/47 "2021-02-21T22:45:53Z")
And the Onion have the real story: > **[Facebook Takes Down All Posts Spreading Misinformation About Fictional Nation...](https://www.theonion.com/facebook-takes-down-all-posts-spreading-misinformation-1846301464)** > > SYDNEY—Citing potentially dangerous messages suggesting the “hoax country” might pass legislation forcing the tech giant to pay for the content its users share, Facebook took down all posts Thursday that spread misinformation about the fictional... ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/48 "2021-02-21T23:22:26Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > The level of outright bullshit being spouted with a straight face in this debate is beyond even the usual high levels. > [@Princhester](#): > > That was in reply to **thorny\_locust**. What did you think was “outright bullshit” about what I posted? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/49 "2021-02-21T23:54:29Z")
They’re agreeing and amplifying your point. The idea that Facebook has shut down news is just bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/50 "2021-02-21T23:57:07Z")
What **Mighty\_Mouse** said. I’m doing well with being understood today, aren’t I? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/51 "2021-02-21T23:58:21Z")
Note that I’m not agreeing with either of you. I just came here to mansplain. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/52 "2021-02-22T00:00:42Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > I just came here to mansplain. Mousplain\*, surely? (\*he said, mansplaining) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/53 "2021-02-22T00:45:23Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > What **Mighty\_Mouse** said. I’m doing well with being understood today, aren’t I? Thanks for clarification. This is not a guarantee that I’ll never accidentally post outright bullshit. Could happen. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2021, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/54 "2021-02-23T05:11:01Z")
> Blockquote We’re pleased that we’ve been able to reach an agreement with the Australian government and appreciate the constructive discussions we’ve had with Treasurer Frydenberg and Minister Fletcher over the past week. We have consistently supported a framework that would encourage innovation and collaboration between online platforms and publishers. After further discussions, we are satisfied that the Australian government has agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address our core concerns about allowing commercial deals that recognize the value our platform provides to publishers relative to the value we receive from them. As a result of these changes, we can now work to further our investment in public interest journalism and restore news on Facebook for Australians in the coming days. > Blockquote > **[Changes to Sharing and Viewing News on Facebook in Australia | Meta](https://about.fb.com/news/2021/02/changes-to-sharing-and-viewing-news-on-facebook-in-australia/)** > > In response to Australia’s proposed new Media Bargaining law, we'll restrict publishers and people in Australia from sharing or viewing news on Facebook. But Facebook was defending the core principles of the internet and all that! This is so disappointing! ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2021, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/55 "2021-02-23T06:08:36Z")
Hey look Mum, I blinked. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/56 "2021-02-23T23:16:24Z")
What does Murdoch think about it? ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2021, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/57 "2021-02-23T23:29:22Z")
Will depend on the size of the cheque. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-says-agreement-reached-with-australian-government-to-restore-news-11614055767](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-says-agreement-reached-with-australian-government-to-restore-news-11614055767) > Facebook got some changes to the legislation as part of the deal. That includes requiring an additional round of negotiation with media companies before binding arbitration kicks in, as well as more acknowledgment of any deals Facebook reaches with publishers on its own, a government statement and government officials said Tuesday. In return, Facebook planned to restore news pages to its platform in Australia in the coming days, the statement said. > > In a news conference, Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told him that the company intends to strike commercial deals with Australian media organizations to pay for content. It did that later Tuesday, when Australian television and newspaper company Seven West Media Ltd. said it agreed to provide news to Facebook, though it didn’t immediately provide any details of the deal. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/58 "2021-02-23T23:36:33Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Will depend on the size of the cheque. That’s what I was thinking. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/59 "2021-03-16T03:35:03Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > What does Murdoch think about it? > **[News Corp Australia, Nine strike Facebook content deals](https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/news-corp-australia-signs-deal-with-facebook-20210316-p57b1f.html)** > > Facebook has struck content deals with Australia’s two largest media companies in a major breakthrough after weeks of tense negotiations. > [@News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson](#): > > “Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch led a global debate while others in our industry were silent or supine as digital dysfunctionality threatened to turn journalism into a mendicant order. This digital denouement has been more than a decade in the making.” _“Greener’s Law (1925)”_: Never argue with a man who buys ink by the barrel, might apply ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185/60 "2021-03-16T22:32:27Z")
Thanks for that link. I couldn’t help but laugh at the expectedness of it all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-banned-on-australian-facebook-pages/933185.md?page=4)