ALONG with many other news organisations last week The Coffs Coast News Of The Area, The Myall News Of The Area and Port Stephens News Of The Area had their capacity to share information through Facebook denied and their previous posts removed.

Administrators of the Facebook pages lost access for information sharing immediately as news of the ban spread across Australia.

While the page setups are still visible to administrators on the team we are waiting like other news outlets for updates as to whether or not the pages will be restored.

Director, Michael Wright spoke with me about his reaction to the Facebook news ban.

“We are disappointed that a situation has developed where the community has lost a key outlet in getting the news out.

“It’s a loss for the community, as we see from the engagement on our Facebook pages that people appreciate being able to access, share and discuss stories we publish,” he said.

“Being an independent, regional media company, we believe in the power, and value, of community news.

Mr Wright said, ”Facebook can allow a platform for discussion and can be a place for healthy debate about the issues we cover.

“This ban further demonstrates, however, the power and necessity of local newspapers.

“The way society consumes its news, particularly via platforms like Facebook, has changed over time, but more than ever we are seeing the value of our local newspapers.

“With this recent ban, and Facebook taking away the ability to share Australian news links on its platform, it is essential that Australians still have consistent access to high quality news content.

“It is reassuring for people to know they can still keep on top of local issues by popping down to a local business to pick up a paper.”

Mr Wright also assures readers that the papers are still available online with printed editions uploaded weekly to the world wide web.

Additionally and importantly, all stories on the NOTA website have a comment section at the end of the story to allow for engagement and interaction.

Visit the site at https://www.newsofthearea.com.au. Bookmark it.

 

By Sandra MOON