[kevincox]

I'm also Canadian and feel the same. I don't like Google or Meta but this is just the media trying to be greedy. If the incoming likes from Google were harmful they would have configured a robots.txt. They are just trying to lobby laws to get extra money. But they were too full of themselves to realize that they need Google and Meta at least an order of magnitude more than Google or Meta needs them.

The same thing happened in Australia and as soon as Facebook blocked links they cried uncle. Maybe if these news articles actually did research rather than focusing on clickbait headlines they would have learned about that.

[defrost]

> The same thing happened in Australia and as soon as Facebook blocked links they cried uncle.

Australia didn't blink, Google and Meta did .. after that brief shutdown of Facebook news feeds in the country, both Google and Facebook agreed to pay:

    Since the News Media Bargaining Code took effect, the tech firms had inked more than 30 deals with media outlets compensating them for content which generated clicks and advertising dollars, said the Treasury department report, published late Thursday.

    "At least some of these agreements have enabled news businesses to, in particular, employ additional journalists and make other valuable investments to assist their operations," said the report.

    "While views on the success or otherwise of the Code will invariably differ, we consider it is reasonable to conclude that the Code has been a success to date."

Australia says law making Facebook and Google pay for news has worked

https://www.reuters.com/technology/australia-says-law-making...

Australia pressured Google and Facebook to pay for journalism. Is America next?

https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/australia-pressured-goo...

    The legislation, known as the News Media Bargaining Code, has enabled Australian news organizations to extract more than $200 million (almost $150 million US) in the year since it went into effect.

    As a result, the public Australian Broadcasting Corporation can place at least fifty new journalists in underserved parts of the country, while the McPherson Media Group, which publishes such papers as the Yarrawonga Chronicle and the Deniliquin Pastoral Times, expects tech money to fund up to 30 percent of editorial salaries.

> Maybe if these news articles actually did research rather than focusing on clickbait headlines they would have learned about that.

Perhaps if certain HN commenters did research they would not be making false statements.

[xtqv]

Australian media's successful extortion only serves to prove such a model works.

Perhaps you've strengthened certain HN commenters' arguments that incentive exists with a proven case.