Amid strained ties between India and Canada, several mainstream news outlets falsely claimed that the latter blocked news outlet Australia Today’s website and Facebook page for airing a press conference by foreign minister S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong.
As per a fact-check by Boom, the claim was initially made by Melbourne-based Australia Today's editor Jitarth Jai Bharadwaj and reiterated by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a press conference. It was then reported by several major news outlets, including India Today, Indian Express, Times of India, NDTV, Deccan Herald, Hindustan Times, and Money Control.
However, Australia Today’s website has not been blocked, and its Facebook posts are not visible in Canada due to Meta’s policy restricting news content on its platforms within the country, as per Boom. The fact-checker found that Bharadwaj shared modified screenshots to support his false claim.
Indian Express also issued a clarification stating that it had published an editorial titled “Calling out Canada” online on November 9, “based on the MEA’s statement”, but it has withdrawn the editorial “with regret.” The newspaper quoted a spokesperson from Global Affairs Canada, who confirmed that Australia Today has not been banned in Canada.
Indian Express has withdrawn its editorial where they called out the Canadian govt for targeting a Australia based news outlet by blocking them on FB. BOOM’s @BombayBombil had fact checked the claim by the news outlet, rating it as false https://t.co/CGCLvXg5t1
— Jency Jacob (@jencyjac) November 11, 2024
The newspaper said: “In response to a questionnaire sent by The Indian Express, Louis-Carl Brissette Lesage, Spokesperson, Media Relations, Global Affairs Canada, said that, “The Australia Today has never been banned in Canada.” Asked about the social media block, the spokesperson pointed to “a decision by Meta to block news on its social media platforms in Canada since 2023.” This report was carried in the newspaper on Monday, November 11. Given this response, the online editorial is withdrawn — with regret.”
Meanwhile, Australia Today issued a statement claiming that its users were unable to access its social media pages only after they posted about Jaishankar’s press conference. “Before this, we were not aware of any issues regarding the accessibility of 'The Australia Today' content in Canada on Meta platforms… To date, The Australia Today has not received any official notification or email from Meta regarding specific restrictions applied to our Facebook or Instagram pages.”
Statement from The Australia Today:
— The Australia Today (@TheAusToday) November 11, 2024
We acknowledge the recent statement from the Canadian Foreign Ministry and would like to clarify that we first learned that users in Canada were unable to access our Facebook and Instagram pages shortly after publishing our interview with… pic.twitter.com/jXWyd4vVFa
The news outlet also claimed that it is “selective blocking” of its content, while another media outlet that airs “anti-India and pro-Khalistan propaganda” content is accessible in Canada.
Indian news outlets like News18 and ANI claimed that Australia Today was being “targeted”, while the diaspora organisation also found support from several BJP leaders on X.
What is Meta’s Canada policy?
After a standoff with the Canadian government over the Online News Act of 2023 – which mandates social media platforms like Meta and Google to compensate news outlets for their content – Meta responded by “blocking access to news on Facebook and Instagram for Canadians.”
While Australia Today claimed that its social media pages were inaccessible in Canada after it published Jaishankar’s remarks, they were reportedly not visible because of Meta’s policy to restrict all news content local and international on its platforms in Canada.
The controversy around the news outlet began after Jaishankar and Wong addressed the press in Canberra on November 6, condemning the attacks on a Hindu temple in Canada and making strong remarks against the Justin Trudeau government, attributing the violence to “extremist forces given political space” in the country.
Newslaundry earlier reported about the Nijjar murder row and its consequences for India’s ties with the US and Canada. Read here.
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