Saw this message quite often while on Canadian soil. Canada isn't being denied just Canadian news on Facebook but news from sources all over the world. That would be problematic like if there was a significant conflict in the Middle East these days. Oops.
The filters weren't 100% accurate but pounced rather quickly to deny news links to Canadians.
We get that the Canadian government overreached, perhaps with good intentions, with Bill C-11. We get that Facebook is throwing a tantrum that the company feels like is necessary, like a 3-year-old who wants candy and isn't getting any.
A toddler with a tantrum is annoying but isn't dangerous. A lack of information, especially these days, can be dangerous. Let's hope for a solid solution and soon.
CBC News is fighting back in its Hockey Night in Canada promos with the message: "get the news you need when you need and without any restrictions."
You might not want 20 apps on your phone but the CBC News app serves most of that need for Canadian news. You can set the area you want as a local focus, whether that is where you live, where you are from, or some other connection.
Loading individual apps is helpful if you have a subscription to The Globe and Mail or the Toronto Star. Those apps are pretty much useless without a subscription. The CP24 app is good if you live in Toronto or care about Canada's largest city.
The Canada Newspapers app, only for Android users, is a marvelous resource. You can find Canadian newspapers all across Canada. There are links to cable and broadcast, such as CTV, Citytv, and CP24. You can read French language newspapers in Montréal and VOCM in St. John's in Newfoundland.
Sports fans can even catch up on sports with links to Rogers Sportsnet and TSN.
Apple gets the cooler apps most of the time. Those users deserve this app as well. Here's hoping that changes soon.
We do suggest putting all your Canada related apps in a folder. My clever Canada folder has the CBC News app, CBC Listen app, and the Canada Newspapers app. Having one place for my Canadian content is huge when I need to access those apps.
Getting news from podcasts such as Canadaland can steer around having to go through Facebook. The frustrating part is not being able to share those links on social media, such as Facebook, which you can't do for now in Canada.
Technology is supposed to help improve our world, not to have internal tantrums that disrupt our worlds.
Even if Facebook and potentially Google stop the tantrums, news consumers need a multiverse strategy to access what is happening in Canada.
This isn't as convenient, which is the idea, but being informed is what truly matters these days.
A guide to quality Canadian journalism in lieu of Meta and Google being childish
How to save news media from our tech overlords (Canadaland)
Pascale St-Onge is the new minister of Canadian heritage
CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage
CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage
CanadianCrossing.com Canadian society coverage
Our guide to quality Canadian journalism is a helpful resource. Maybe you need to have a few too many apps on your phone to keep up with Canadian news. We can't let Facebook, Google, or any other tech lord be better or smarter than we are as news consumers. When they win, we all lose.
Let us know in the comments section if you have a good solution, especially for Apple users, where others can benefit.
photo credits: Facebook; CBC/NHL; Canada Newspapers
This was helpful. Thanks. I'm currently in France so I'm only noticing now how much I wasn't getting when back home.
Posted by: veronica | November 15, 2023 at 03:28 AM