Australia Today Calls Out Canada’s ‘Selective Blocking’, Accuses It of Allowing Anti-India Content

New Delhi: Jitarth Jai Bharadwaj, managing editor of the Australian diaspora news outlet The Australia Today, reported on Monday that the outlet’s Facebook and Instagram pages were blocked in Canada following the posting of an interview with India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar . Bharadwaj described the situation as a case of "selective blocking."According to Bharadwaj, Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, may have restricted access to The Australia Today’s content due to recent Canadian legislation limiting the display of news on social media platforms. Bharadwaj alleged that despite the restrictions on The Australia Today, another news outlet known for its anti-India and pro-Khalistan content remains fully accessible in Canada.In response to the block, Bharadwaj noted that The Australia Today has yet to receive official communication from Meta explaining the restrictions. However, he reiterated the outlet’s mission to deliver “diverse Australian multicultural stories and global Indian Diaspora perspectives” to its audience, undeterred by the setback.“We look forward to continued engagement with our Canadian audience, albeit through other accessible channels beyond Meta’s platforms. We hope that all stakeholders can work towards ensuring that important news content is accessible to everyone without barriers," Bharadwaj said.Statement from The Australia Today:We acknowledge the recent statement from the Canadian Foreign Ministry and would like to clarify that we first learned that users in Canada were unable to access our Facebook and Instagram pages shortly after publishing our interview with… pic.twitter.com/jXWyd4vVFa— The Australia Today (@TheAusToday) November 11, 2024 Earlier last week, The Australia Today claimed that Canada had blocked the outlet’s social media pages shortly after it hosted a press conference with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and S. Jaishankar, and conducted a separate interview with the latter.On November 8, Bharadwaj also shared a screenshot on X, showing a warning message on The Australia Today’s Facebook page that read: “People in Canada can’t see this content."

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Australia Today Calls Out Canada’s ‘Selective Blocking’, Accuses It of Allowing Anti-India Content

Bharadwaj alleged that despite the restrictions on The Australia Today, another news outlet known for its anti-India content remains fully accessible in Canada.

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