When Facebook began blocking Canadian news-sharing on its site, I immediately noticed the change in my newsfeed.
I felt transported back to 2007, going directly to news sites to catch up on current events.
Somehow, the ban slipped my mind until a couple weeks ago when I tried to share a link to one of my columns and the warning appeared reminding me that I couldn’t share Canadian news.
My first thought was: “It’s an opinion column not news.”
Needless to say, I didn’t make the post.
It made me realize that for years, I’ve been directed to news stories from friends and contacts on my Facebook list.
People would post an article or news video that was interesting, that affected them or that included them.
It was a convenient way for people to share information with contacts. It allowed us to connect with friends, and view news that they thought was important enough to share.
I use Facebook primarily for friends and family. I don’t use it as a professional site — that’s what LinkedIn and X, formerly known as Twitter, are for.
I have noticed that since the Canadian news ban on Facebook began, the amount of time I’ve spent on the platform has drastically decreased.
It wasn’t intentional and I haven’t boycotted the site, but it’s less engaging now.
I wonder if the news ban is going to prove to be a mistake, akin to Blockbuster dismissing Netflix.
Before, Facebook was for sharing photos, videos, ideas and news. Now I can see photos from friends and people posting that it’s raining outside.
We had news before Facebook and we’ll have it after. Journalism has always been an evolving industry that has had to morph to fit various platforms, constantly reinventing itself.
I remember being a reporter and having to not only post articles to the website, but also to Facebook. It was a new tool we were using to share our stories.
Now we don’t have that tool and I think it’s Facebook’s loss.
I attended journalism school, studying writing and photography, in 2005, the same year the program switched to 100 per cent digital from film cameras.
We were learning about the decline of film and the gloomy future of print journalism.
At the time, I selfishly thought the industry would last long enough for me to be a newspaper reporter, but might not be there for the next generation of journalists.
Journalism is an important skill. We need to community news reported in ethical and balanced ways. The public wants it and will seek out other avenues for it.
A few years after I graduated from journalism school, I was laid off from my reporter job. At the same time, the college shut its doors.
I thought, wow, if this isn’t a sign about the future of print media, what is?
It was a tough time — I was a single mom with no job, wondering what my career might look like.
Lucky for me, I later learned I was wrong.
A handful of years later, I was approached by a reporter at the Times Colonist asking if I might be interested in writing a column for the paper.
I am someone who rarely turns down an opportunity and I reached out with interest. I wasn’t sure if people would read my column, or what the outcome would be, so I had few expectations going in.
I started writing my column in 2017 and was surprised at how many people reached out to me because of it.
Now, several years later, I receive many emails from readers, and people stop me on the street to comment on my columns.
I never anticipated this. Writing is a solitary act, and it’s nice to know that my columns resonate with people, and they reach out.
I know my columns are only a tiny piece of the news that the Times Colonist offers, and that people in the community rely on the paper for news.
For Facebook to ban the sharing of news is not a great way to provide a platform that serves Canadians.
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