Google and Facebook, which take a combined 81% of online advertising in Australia, have condemned the code as unworkable. “He raised a few remaining issues with the Government’s news media bargaining code and we agreed to continue our conversation to try to find a pathway forward,” Frydenberg tweeted. Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the government would not back down on its legislative agenda because of Facebook’s reaction. “This announcement from Facebook, if they were to maintain this position, of course would call into question the credibility of the platform in terms of the news on it,” Fletcher told ABC. “Effectively Facebook is saying to Australians information that you see on our platforms does not come from organizations that have editorial policies or fact-checking processes or journalists who are paid to do the work they do,” Fletcher added.

Source: Daily Sun February 17, 2021 06:39 UTC