The federal government says it’s are going to reduce advertising spending on digital platforms..The news comes the day a prominent Canadian news website closed shop. HuffPost Canada announced they were shuttering immediately – meaning dozens of people lost their jobs..CWA Canada said about two dozen workers at HuffPost Canada had filed for union certification in February..Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault told MPs on the House heritage committee on Monday he had seen more and more federal money going into advertising on digital platforms and “we need to change this” in his department..“We have started to change the investment we made in publicity away from online platforms,” he said..“Last year, 55 per cent of the $44.86 million the federal government spent on advertising went to digital platforms. Of that money, Google received 93 per cent of the total spending on search engine marketing media placement, or $4.27 million. Facebook and its Instagram platform received the lion’s share — $5.85 million — of the $8.56 million the government spent on social media placement,” Postmedia said..Facebook announced in February it has blocked Australians from viewing and sharing all news on its platform because of proposed laws to make companies like it and Google pay an effective tax to media companies when users share their content. .It is the same bailout model that big Canadian mainstream media companies are demanding from Ottawa..Under the new Facebook policy, Australian web surfers can no longer share content from domestic or international news sources. In other parts of the world, users can’t share news from Australian sources..Guilbeault said Canada is unmoved and will continue with legislation requiring social-media platforms fund news..“I must condemn what Facebook is doing,” he said..“I think what Facebook is doing in Australia is highly irresponsible and compromises the safety of many Australian people.”.Most mainstream media newspapers across Canada went to press last month with nothing on their front pages – part of a campaign asking the federal government to start taxing Google and Facebook and pass the revenue on to them. Postmedia newspapers and the Toronto Star all went without pictures or headlines on their front page..The Western Standard did not participate in the demand for more government money. In place of low-value Google Ads, the Western Standard is moving to sell ad placements directly to businesses and non-profits..Canadian mainstream media outlets have been the recipients of $600 million in federal Liberal handouts since 2018..The Western Standard refuses to accept the federal media bailout..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
The federal government says it’s are going to reduce advertising spending on digital platforms..The news comes the day a prominent Canadian news website closed shop. HuffPost Canada announced they were shuttering immediately – meaning dozens of people lost their jobs..CWA Canada said about two dozen workers at HuffPost Canada had filed for union certification in February..Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault told MPs on the House heritage committee on Monday he had seen more and more federal money going into advertising on digital platforms and “we need to change this” in his department..“We have started to change the investment we made in publicity away from online platforms,” he said..“Last year, 55 per cent of the $44.86 million the federal government spent on advertising went to digital platforms. Of that money, Google received 93 per cent of the total spending on search engine marketing media placement, or $4.27 million. Facebook and its Instagram platform received the lion’s share — $5.85 million — of the $8.56 million the government spent on social media placement,” Postmedia said..Facebook announced in February it has blocked Australians from viewing and sharing all news on its platform because of proposed laws to make companies like it and Google pay an effective tax to media companies when users share their content. .It is the same bailout model that big Canadian mainstream media companies are demanding from Ottawa..Under the new Facebook policy, Australian web surfers can no longer share content from domestic or international news sources. In other parts of the world, users can’t share news from Australian sources..Guilbeault said Canada is unmoved and will continue with legislation requiring social-media platforms fund news..“I must condemn what Facebook is doing,” he said..“I think what Facebook is doing in Australia is highly irresponsible and compromises the safety of many Australian people.”.Most mainstream media newspapers across Canada went to press last month with nothing on their front pages – part of a campaign asking the federal government to start taxing Google and Facebook and pass the revenue on to them. Postmedia newspapers and the Toronto Star all went without pictures or headlines on their front page..The Western Standard did not participate in the demand for more government money. In place of low-value Google Ads, the Western Standard is moving to sell ad placements directly to businesses and non-profits..Canadian mainstream media outlets have been the recipients of $600 million in federal Liberal handouts since 2018..The Western Standard refuses to accept the federal media bailout..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
