Independent media publishers go dark for 24 hours in media funding protest

Calum Jaspan

March 22, 2022 9:33

More than 30 independent publishers are not publishing news for 24 hours in response to the outcome of Facebook’s Australian News Fund.

The campaign, #WaitingOnZuck aims to “let the world know” that small and medium-sized publishers are waiting on Facebook to pay for content on that appears on the platform. Participating outlets include Broadsheet, Concrete Playground, Urban List, City Hub, Star Observer, Australian Jewish News, and Australian Chinese Daily.

Publishers post their #WaitingOnZuck stories

Created by D.O.A (Decade of Action) is intended as a “collective freeze to fight for the future of Australian news media”, as the publishers are wanting Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to make commercial deals that are “transparent and fair” in paying for quality independent journalism, also encouraging readers to contact treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

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Calum Jaspan

Calum Jaspan was news editor at Mumbrella, based in Melbourne. He was also the producer and host of the Mumbrellacast. He left Mumbrella in May 2023.