(Ottawa) The American State Department attacks the Canadian online news law In a human rights report that criticizes press freedom in Canada, a situation that experts qualified on Orwellian on Thursday.
There Online news lawwho obliges Meta and Google to remunerate press publishers for the use of their content, is cited in a section of the report devoted to press freedom.
“The United States is determined to repeal two important Canadian laws: the online news Act and the online online dissemination law. Their objective is clear, “said Fen Hampson, international business professor at Carleton University.
While Meta has withdrawn from her platforms in response to the 2023 law, the media now receives payments from a 100 million Google fund. Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that it was open to the repeal of the law; A government spokesperson said that “the implementation of the Online news law is still underway ”, in response to a question from the Canadian press.
Carney had already removed a digital services tax that has affected many large American technological companies after US President Donald Trump interrupted business negotiations with Canada on this subject.
Last week, a group of American Republicans urged Trump administration to encourage Canada to repeal the law on continuously online broadcasting. This bill obliges large continuous dissemination companies, such as Netflix and Amazon, to contribute financially to Canadian content and media.
Mr. Hampson explained that large technological companies oppose these two bills.
“What we see is not what I would call an honest criticism. It is a campaign calculated to protect the profits of technology giants, he said. To speak frankly, the report takes tiny plots of truth and transforms them into a real network of deception and disinformation, perhaps worthy of George Orwell himself. »»
Alfred Hermida, professor at the school of journalism at the University of British Columbia, also referred to the concept of double thought, taken from the famous Dystopian political novel by Orwell, “1984”.
Mr. Hermida said the report takes action “which really promote press freedom, but these as if they were limited”.
The report indicates that the Government respects “generally” freedom of expression in Canada, while concluding that “important restrictions on press freedom remain”.
He cites in particular the funding of the media as a reason, in particular the law on online news, tax credits for journalism and public financing of a local journalism initiative managed independently of the government.
The State Department has challenged a component of this initiative which favors the hiring of journalists from diversity, in particular indigenous, black, disabled or belonging to communities 2eLGBTQI+. The report says that this initiative discriminates “journalists who do not fall under these privileged categories”.
Mr. Hermida explained that the media are “mainly white and very male” and that efforts to increase diversity aim to correct historical damage.
He added that it was “really surprising” to see such a politicized report from the State Department.
Mr. Hermida described it as a “Maga perspective on press freedom in Canada”.
