Community radio associations denounce political parties buying advertising from Meta
Community radio associations denounce political parties buying advertising from Meta
With the federal election campaign in full swing, three French-language radio groups have joined forces to denounce what they describe as hypocrisy on the part of Canada’s main political parties. The Association des radiodiffuseurs communautaires du Québec (ARCQ), the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada (ARCC) and the Association des radios régionales francophones (ARRF) are condemning the massive purchase of ads by these parties on Meta platforms, despite the controversy surrounding this Web giant.
According to a recent article by La Presse Canadienne, Canadian political parties invested more than $900,000 in advertising on Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta. The the joint press release by the associations states that political parties spending money with the US web giant, which has blocked news media content on its platforms in Canada, was “incoherent and disappointing.”
“Shouldn’t our politicians support our information, our media, our democracy?” the statement reads.
The statement points out that the federal government suspended all advertising on Meta’s platforms in 2023, in response to the American company’s news blockade in Canada (a decision that was reversed earlier this year).