Australian news organisations have Facebook pages wiped amid publication standoff

While Google struck a deal to pay publishers for content, Facebook wiped content from the pages of news outlets as tensions rise in Australia about the publication of content

People visiting pages of Australian outlets were left facing blank screens, as the social media giant made good on its vow to block publishers if legislation aimed at making Facebook pay for news content became law. File picture.

News organisations in Australia have had their Facebook pages wiped in a retaliatory move by the social media giant against plans to make it pay publishers for hosting news content.

People visiting pages of Australian outlets were left facing blank screens, as the social media giant made good on its vow to block publishers if legislation aimed at making Facebook pay for news content became law.

Moves have been afoot to force Facebook and other online giants such as Google to cough up for profiting off news content from publishers such as newspapers and television stations, with proponents of the proposed legislation saying it was only fair that multi-billion dollar social media firms pay for the benefits they receive from news links.

Google earlier reached a deal with the Australian broadcaster Nine Entertainment for $30m (€19m) a year to host its news content, but Facebook has instead taken the nuclear option rather than strike a deal.

Facebook vice president of global news partnerships, Campbell Brown, claimed it was an "incredibly difficult decision to restrict the availability of news on Facebook in Australia".

The former television anchor at NBC and CNN in the US said in a blog post that "what the proposed law introduced in Australia fails to recognise is the fundamental nature of the relationship between our platform and publishers".

"Contrary to what some have suggested, Facebook does not steal news content. Publishers choose to share their stories on Facebook. From finding new readers to getting new subscribers and driving revenue, news organisations wouldn’t use Facebook if it didn’t help their bottom lines."

In a signal that the company was prepared for the long haul, Ms Campbell said: "I hope in the future, we can include news for people in Australia once again. 

"For now, we continue to be focused on bringing Facebook News and other new products to more countries and we have no intention of slowing down."

By contrast, Google will now pay Australians news organisations such as Nine Entertainment, Rupert Murdoch's Newscorp, Seven West Media, and Junkee Media to feature content in Google News Showcase.

The deal was reached after a standoff where Google previously warned it would stop making its search engine available in Australia.

The proposed legislation has been brewing for months, with Australia's determination that social media and online firms pay for journalism seen as a test case for other countries to do the same.

Australian federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, the country's finance minister equivalent, said the Government’s News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code would “address the bargaining power imbalances with digital platforms and media companies”. 

“This code, a world-first, is the culmination of an 18-month review by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, as well as extensive consultation which canvassed a range of views and different approaches, including from Google and Facebook," he said.