N.B. student newspapers worry how they'll fare following Meta news ban
Concern growing about how publications will reach audiences when new school year begins
Student publications heavily rely on social media to share news content and drive traffic to their website.
But with Meta shutting down news content across Canada in response to the federal government's Online News Act, some students fear university and college publications may be coming to an end.
David Shuman, an Atlantic Representative for Canadian University Press, said people sign up to work in student news with the goal of covering "stories that need to be covered and to get those to the students that love to read them."
"If we can't share our stories, it's not like people are picking up a lot of these publications as newspapers or magazines anymore," Shuman said.
"We feel that we're going to be cut off from our audience."
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has been signalling the move was coming after the government passed its Online News Act, Bill C-18, in June.
The law requires big tech giants like Google and Meta to pay media outlets for news content they share or otherwise repurpose on their platforms.
Canadians will no longer be able to view or post news content on Facebook or Instagram. News outlets, including international ones, will start having their content blocked on those platforms.
Meta's news ban was announced well after the winter semester had ended, leaving student editors concerned about how their publications will reach target audiences when the school year begins this fall.
'Oh you guys still have a website?'
Giuliana Grillo de Lambarri is editor-in-chief of The Aquinian, the student newspaper at St. Thomas University in Fredericton.
Available online only, she said the publication's main audience is on Facebook and Instagram.
"Our audience is very much students that don't have a lot of time or don't have a lot of loyalty to one particular news site, so they might not be going out of their way to read us," she said.
Many students may be unaware of their campus publication without the amplification of social media. Grillo de Lambarri said it might come down to printing QR codes that lead to the website or putting up posters around campus.
Sofia Erickson, editor-in-chief of the Brunswickan, the student paper at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, said they only have one print distribution each month, so they're concerned about how they will get the word out about weekly stories without the help of Instagram.
"We don't have the name recognition of big publications, that people are just going to continue to check in on our website, because I know a lot of people I've talked to are like, 'Oh, you guys still have a website?'" they said.
Erickson said they hope the Brunswickan will be able to stay afloat, but they are also worried for other student publications.
"It's already hard to be print media in this day and age and when a lot of students aren't reading print media and aren't checking the website ... I'm worried that its going to lead to the closure of student media."
Not enthusiastic about X
Grillo de Lambarri said one option not garnering much enthusiasm is X, formerly known as Twitter, which has undergone a dramatic transformation under Elon Musk.
She says young people are not as active on X as other social media platforms.
"If you ever go to The Aquinian's Twitter, for example — it's not a lot of people that follow us, let alone engage with our content," she said.
"We don't have a big audience to begin with, and it has become harder and harder for people to find you if you don't have ... the little blue check," Grillo de Lambarri said, referring to the platform's verification system.
Student publications are now exploring options offline to keep people informed about campus news, but the transformation will not be easy.
Shuman said a lot of student publications don't have the financial means to introduce or even reintroduce physical newspapers or magazines, which could result in having to cut down on staff.
"They would have to seriously change their operations in a way that might limit their ability to do what they do."
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