In an open letter to Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, the World Association of News Publishers has called for a consultation “that includes publishers of every size and region, and terms agreed with them, not announced to them”.
Signed by WAN-Ifra president Ladina Heimgartner, Irene Lanzaco (chair of the Directors of Member Associations Committee) and chief executive Stig Ørskov, the letter sets out what publishers expect from the consultation Meta has announced on its new Commercial Terms.
Last week, WAN-Ifra joined the industry-wide mobilisation against Meta’s new Commercial Terms, which would require publishers to let Meta collect and reuse content from their websites without payment as a condition of using its platforms for business. Yesterday Meta committed not to make policy changes “without a full consultation with industry groups and leaders”, keeping its existing terms in place until then.
WAN-Ifra said it welcomed the commitment but warned that putting the terms on hold is not withdrawing them: the consultation will determine what comes next.
“Independent journalism is essential to democratic societies, and its future depends on publishers keeping control over how their work is used,” said Heimgartner. “Our members operate in very different markets and have very different relationships with Meta, but on this they are united. We are firm on our principles, and we expect the consultation to deliver terms agreed with publishers.”
In its letter, WAN-IFRA asks that:
–using Meta’s business services does not require publishers to grant permission to collect or reuse their content;
–every publisher, whatever its size, can refuse that permission without penalties affecting access, distribution or referral;
–any revised terms respect the principle that access to news is negotiated and paid for, in line with the principles of the News Integrity in the Age of AI initiative led by WAN-Ifra and the European Broadcasting Union;
–the consultation goes beyond bilateral meetings and takes into account the interests of publishers of every size and region, not only Meta’s partners; and
–its outcome is agreed with publishers, not announced to them.
Lanzaco said “journalism has authors, it has publishers, it has rights and it has a cost:
“No technology company, however powerful, can appropriate it through standard terms, and no publisher should have to surrender its rights as the price of reaching its readers. We are ready to talk, but we will not abandon these principles.”
“Ørskov said a company of Meta’s reach and influence carried a particular responsibility: “For many users, its platforms are a main gateway to news. We share a responsibility to ensure that people continue to have access to reliable information. That calls for dialogue and terms that respect the interests of both Meta and the publishers who produce it.”
WAN-Ifra has invited Meta to meet a delegation from across the industry as part of the consultation, noting that on November 20, UNESCO will present its guidance on fair compensation for news in the age of AI and that, as governments, international organisations and the media industry work to define how journalism should be valued, Meta can choose to rise to the occasion and contribute to that effort, starting with its own terms.
The full text of the letter is available here.
Pictured: Mark Zuckerberg, photo: Meta