Waiting on Zuck
Together with more than 30 independent news outlets, The AJN will stop publishing news on Facebook for 24 hours. We’re #WaitingOnZuck.
POLARIS Media, publisher of The Australian Jewish News, will be one of more than 30 independent Australian media outlets to stop publishing news on Facebook for 24 hours.
On Tuesday, March 22, The AJN will participate in the news freeze alongside the other news outlets, including Broadsheet Media, Concrete Playground, Star Observer and City Hub, in a collective freeze to fight for the future of Australian news media. The news freeze will let the world know that small and medium news publishers are #WaitingOnZuck to pay for journalism and content that appears on the Facebook platform.
The campaign is called ‘Waiting for Zuck’ and its aim is to draw the attention of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, and Mark Zuckerberg, so that the future of news can be protected.
Frydenberg introduced ‘The News Media Bargaining Code’ in March 2021 to reduce the power imbalance between Australian news media businesses and digital platforms, specifically Facebook and Google.
Following heated exchanges, Facebook struck deals with major Australian media outlets to pay for their journalism, but there has been no agreement in place for Zuckerberg to pay for the independent journalism he and his businesses have so greatly benefitted from.
The Bargaining Code was a positive step, but a year on from the striking the deal there is still much that needs to be done.
The campaign asks readers outlets to put pressure on Frydenberg, as well as shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers, to ensure independent media outlets receive crucial funding from Facebook in order to avoid the risk of closure.
The timing of the news freeze is no coincidence; Frydenberg (and the Department of Treasury) is currently reviewing the impact of the Code, which means now is the opportunity to ensure Facebook is held to account.
Get involved by downloading your own #WaitingOnZuck action kit via and show your support via their own social channels. You can also email Josh Frydenberg via the campaign website and let him know that Mark Zuckerberg will continue to erode the Australian news media landscape without greater accountability for Facebook (Meta) to negotiate with independent publishers.
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