Fri 20 December 2024:
The BBC has uncovered evidence suggesting that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has restricted the reach of Palestinian news outlets since October 2023.
An analysis of Facebook data revealed a significant decline in audience engagement for newsrooms based in Gaza and the occupied West Bank since October 2023. Leaked documents also indicate that Instagram, another Meta platform, intensified its moderation of Palestinian user comments after this date.
With on-ground reporting heavily restricted as Israel refused to allow international journalists into the enclave, social media has emerged as a crucial channel for updates from Gaza. Facebook pages for outlets like Palestine TV, Wafa News Agency and Al-Watan News, operating from the occupied West Bank, have become essential sources of information for audiences worldwide, the BBC reported.
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BBC News Arabic analysed Facebook engagement data from 20 major Palestinian news organisations over a two-year period covering the year before and after the escalation of Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza.
“During a period of war, audience engagement might be expected to rise. However, the data showed a 77% decline after 7 October 2023,” the report stated.
Palestine TV, which has 5.8 million followers, experienced a sharp decline in visibility. Journalists shared data showing a 60 per cent drop in how many people viewed their posts. “Interaction was completely restricted, and our posts stopped reaching people,” said journalist Tariq Ziad from the channel.
Over the past year, Palestinian journalists have expressed concerns that their content is being “shadow-banned” by Meta, meaning its reach is deliberately limited.
To investigate, the BBC conducted a similar analysis of 20 Israeli news outlets, including Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel Hayom and Channel 13. These outlets also posted extensively about the war, yet their audience engagement grew by nearly 37 per cent.
Moreover, the BBC interviewed five current and former Meta employees about the impact of the company’s policies on Palestinian users. One individual, speaking anonymously, shared leaked documents revealing that Instagram’s algorithm was adjusted shortly after October last year, increasing moderation of Palestinian comments.
“Within a week of the Hamas attack, the code was changed essentially making it more aggressive towards Palestinian people,” he said. Internal communications also showed an engineer expressing concerns that the update could introduce bias against Palestinians.
Meta confirmed the algorithm change, adding that it was justified due to a “spike in hateful content” from the Palestinian territories. Meanwhile, the company claimed that the measures have since been reversed but did not specify when this occurred.
-MEMO
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