Weakening News Bargaining Codes: How Meta's Algorithm Manipulation Undermines Publisher Performance and Journalism Support

This study investigated the response of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, after Australia’s News Bargaining Code looked like it might be emulated across the globe. The Code was intended to enhance the financial sustainability of news organizations by mandating that platforms pay for news content they use. Analysis using Facebook’s CrowdTangle found that over a one-year period from mid-2022, Facebook reduced by half the visibility of news content of 15 leading publishers on all continents across the globe. This means that the payment envisaged under such codes would be halved. This decline was regardless of their News Bargaining Code implementation status. Publishers reduced their news on Facebook by about 10 percent over the same period, suggesting a strategic shift by news publishers away from reliance on Facebook. These findings demonstrate that platforms can manipulate their recommendation algorithms to undermine the objectives of News Bargaining Codes without directly violating the codes, thereby reducing the codes’ effectiveness as a tool for supporting journalism. Importantly, these findings underscore the need for alternative approaches to support journalism that are less susceptible to platform-driven changes in visibility and engagement dynamics.