Meta says content from news outlets, including news publishers and broadcasters, will not be available on Facebook and Instagram in Canada if Bill C-18, the Online News Act, is passed into law. The company says it’s testing a solution to end news availability in Canada as defined by Bill C-18, which is currently making its way through the Senate and anticipated to become law by the end of the month. During the testing period, which will run for several weeks, a small percentage of Canadian users enrolled in testing will be notified if they attempt to share news content. News outlets will continue to have access to their accounts and Pages, and post news links and content, however, some of that content will not be viewable in Canada, including short-form video posted to Reels and Stories. Read more here.
The Digital Publishing Awards have announced this year’s winners across 24 categories. The Narwhal captured eight awards, including Gold for Ontario reporter Emma McIntosh in the Emerging Excellence category. CBC Podcasts’ Welcome to Paradise took Gold in the Best Podcast: Arts, Culture & Society category, while Kuper Island claimed the honour for Best Podcast: Current Affairs. Other multiple award winners included The Globe & Mail, CBC News, Radio-Canada, La Presse, and Hazlitt.
Narcity Media Group has outlined its AI-driven, go-forward strategy in a press release titled “Re-envisioning our content for the future.” Among its initiatives are moving toward a membership model that would provide unlimited access to the publication’s “AI Valet” reading experience. Narcity says it also plans to double down on its Travel, Eat & Drink, Money and Lifestyle verticals. “This powerful tool isn’t replacing our human touch — it’s amplifying it, enabling us to streamline our processes and concentrate on what truly matters: telling more genuine, voice-led stories,” writes CEO Chuck Lapointe. “We’re harnessing AI to bring you the unique narratives and perspectives that shape our communities. It’s our mission to deliver not just content, but experiences that resonate with our readers on a deeper, more personal level.”
Unifor says in a historic vote last week, 220 Metroland Media union members overwhelmingly voted to move forward with consolidation of their newspaper collective agreements. The process to achieve the Memorandum of Agreement began in early February when Torstar approached the union to help ease its financial situation by converting all organized Metroland units into a single group. The deal moves 12 smaller collective agreements under one main agreement, which will see members across Ontario come together as one large group. Unit chairs will meet over the next few weeks to formulate that main agreement. Unifor Local 87-M represents 220 members at Metroland Media and 1,500 media workers across Ontario, including the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail and Toronto Sun.
