Opinion | Why Facebook banning news days before Australia’s coronavirus vaccine roll-out is dangerous

The combined effect of Facebook’s decision could be damaging to public health messaging as the country prepares to begin its inoculation campaign

By minimising the media’s role at this moment, the platform will make it harder for people to access good information, at a time when they need it most

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Facebook has banned Australian media organisations from posting links to news articles on the social media platform. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:00am, 19 Feb 2021Updated: 7:21am, 19 Feb 2021

Facebook’s decision to ban media organisations from posting links to news articles on the social media giant’s platform comes less than a week before Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine roll-out begins. The ban also prevented many health organisations, government health departments and other organisations from posting links (some, but not all, have now been restored).

The combined effect of this could be incredibly damaging.

My research is on how poor-quality information and misinformation in online environments, including social media, is presenting serious challenges for public health.

When I saw the news about Facebook’s ban this morning, I was struck by the terrible timing. Now, more than ever we need credible, evidence-based information about Covid-19 vaccines circulating on social media.

Of course, not all media reporting is perfect. But research by myself and others has shown the media in general plays an important role as gatekeepers and disseminators of high-quality public health information to the public.