Skip to main content

New top story from Time: How Facebook’s Australia News Ban Could Hamper Vaccine Rollout to Aboriginal People

https://ift.tt/37E8rL1

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout was never going to be easy in Australia’s sparsely populated, desert-covered Northern Territory. With many small towns located hours apart by road, organizers even considered using drones and dry ice to make deliveries.

But the vaccination campaign is facing an even greater uphill battle after Facebook removed news content across the country of 25 million on Feb. 18 following a battle over a bill that would force Big Tech companies to pay for the use of news stories. The ban also swept up Indigenous media organizations, meaning that Aboriginal people, who make up more than 25% of the region’s population may not have access to reliable information about vaccinations.

Many Aboriginal people rely on Facebook as a portal to the Internet. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook has become “a primary vehicle for promoting health information to remote Aboriginal communities,” says Malarndirri McCarthy, a senator in the Northern Territory.

“The shut down of news sites on Facebook, and in particular First Nations news sites, is a dire situation for ensuring accurate information about the vaccine reaches First Nations communities,” says McCarthy, using a term that describes the people whose ancestors lived in Australia for tens of thousands of years before British colonization in the 18th century.

Aboriginal news outlets ‘outraged’

Numerous pages hosting important health and emergency information were also knocked offline by Facebook’s news ban, which blocks Australian news publications from hosting content, prohibits Australia’s 16 million Facebook users from sharing news links and stops people outside the country from sharing links to Australian news sites. Fire organizations—which provide important information during the country’s bushfire season, which is under way—charities, including food banks, and some state health department pages were also caught up in the sudden block. Many of these have since been restored.

Several Aboriginal community-run health services that were blocked appear to be back online. A representative for the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC), an Aboriginal community-run health organization in the Northern Territory, tells TIME that its Facebook page was restored the evening after it had been blocked. NGO Danila Dilba Health Service, which also operates in the Northern Territory, says its Facebook was offline for about 12 hours.

Facebook said in a statement that pages like government, public safety, education and business pages that are not news should not be impacted, and that the company is working to restore them.

But Indigenous media outlets, like the popular broadcaster National Indigenous Television (NITV) and the only Indigenous radio service in Cairns, a city in the state of Queensland, are still unable to share news on Facebook.

Read More: Facebook’s New Oversight Board Is Deciding Donald Trump’s Fate. Will It Also Define the Future of the Company?

Aboriginal media organizations say they are angered by the timing of Facebook’s move, and worried about the impact that it may have on vulnerable communities.

“We are outraged that access to First Nations voices has been limited in this way. Never has our media been more vital than during a global pandemic – especially on the cusp of vaccination rollouts,” Dot West, the chair of the advocacy group First Nations Media Australia, said in a statement.

Indigenous media organizations in remote areas have also expressed concern that they won’t be able to share vital information like flood warnings and telecommunications issues.

“There is a lot of fear surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine, we also live in a cyclone region so we are an emergency broadcaster. Our audience, our listeners rely on that easy access of Facebook to see those updates,” Tangiora Hinaki, the CEO of Ngaarda Media which operates in Western Australia, told NITV News.

The impact may be felt in other vulnerable communities too. Australian news is no longer shareable in the Pacific islands region, and Pacific news can’t be shared inside Australia, where more than 200,000 people with Pacific Islands ancestry live. Pacific Islanders also face an increased risk from COVID-19.

Vital news on vaccine rollout blocked

Prime Minister Scott Morrison received a vaccine on Feb. 21 and the country’s vaccination drive officially began on Feb. 22 for frontline healthcare workers, elderly nursing home residents and border control and quarantine staffers.

scott-morrison-vaccine
Mark Evans—Getty ImagesAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison receives a COVID-19 vaccination at Castle Hill Medical Centre in Sydney, Australia on Feb. 21, 2021.

Vaccinations for Aboriginal people over the age of 55 (and other adults over the age of 70) will begin in the second phase of vaccinations which is scheduled for the end of March. Like many Indigenous groups around the world, Aboriginal people are more vulnerable to COVID-19, owing to a higher rate of other health issues and the difficulty of accessing medical care in the remote communities where some Aboriginal people live.

McCarthy says that Aboriginal people are avid consumers of social media, particularly Facebook. During the pandemic, Aboriginal media organizations, working with governments and community health organizations, have been crucial for getting information about the virus to remote communities, says McCarthy.

Videos translated into local languages to promote hand-washing, animations demonstrating the impact of lockdowns and local leaders sharing health messages have all been promoted by Indigenous media outlets on Facebook.

Misinformation could ‘dominate’ Facebook feeds

Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt has warned that Facebook’s actions could lead to misinformation from non-verified sources being further amplified.

Facebook tells TIME that it remains committed to combatting misinformation, and that it is working with governments to direct people to authoritative health information and notify them of new updates via its global COVID-19 Information Centre.

Read More: The U.S. Exported QAnon to Australia and New Zealand. Now It’s Creeping Into COVID-19 Lockdown Protests

But as other content fills the gap left by news sources, misinformation may become increasingly problematic. This issue may be even more pronounced among Aboriginal communities, where trust in government and some institutions is low due to historical mistreatment.

“Urgent action is needed to ensure misinformation does not dominate people’s Facebook feeds,” warns McCarthy, “which is certainly a risk without trusted First Nations media organizations available on Facebook.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

FOX NEWS: Americans will suffer 5 sweaty, sleepless nights before turning on the AC for the summer, survey finds Nearly half of Americans wouldn’t date someone who didn’t have the same thermostat etiquette as them, according to new research.

Americans will suffer 5 sweaty, sleepless nights before turning on the AC for the summer, survey finds Nearly half of Americans wouldn’t date someone who didn’t have the same thermostat etiquette as them, according to new research. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/2Ay0ABA

New top story from Time: A COVID Outbreak Sparked by Partying Teens Leads to 5,000 Being Quarantined in Spain

https://ift.tt/2UJaeL7 MADRID — Almost 5,000 people are in quarantine after vacationing high school students triggered a major COVID-19 outbreak on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, a senior official said Monday. Authorities have confirmed almost 1,200 positive cases from the outbreak, Spain’s emergency health response coordinator, Fernando Simón said. The partying teens celebrating the end of their university entrance exams last week created a “perfect breeding ground” for the virus as they mixed with others from around Spain and abroad, Simón told a news conference. Mallorca health authorities carried out mass testing on hundreds of students after the outbreak became clear. It is believed to have spread as hundreds of partying students gathered at a concert and street parties. Officials have so far traced 5,126 travelers to Mallorca. More than 900 COVID-19 cases in eight regions across mainland Spain have been traced back to the outbreak. Scores of infected teens are...

PM Modi lauds IFS officers for their work towards serving nation, furthering national interests https://ift.tt/36HoEzw

Greeting Indian Foreign Service officers on IFS day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that their work towards serving the nation and furthering national interests globally are commendable. Their efforts during the Vande Bharat Mission, which was launched to bring Indians home from abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic as international travel came to a halt, and other related help to our citizens and other nations is noteworthy, Modi added.

Free Muni and Paratransit to COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments

Free Muni and Paratransit to COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments By Phillip Pierce Free Muni and Paratransit to COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments Starting on Tuesday, February 23, Muni and Paratransit will be free for those traveling to get vaccinated for COVID-19. This includes trips in both directions. The SFMTA is also providing additional access to taxi service for those who use the  Essential Trip Card . These rides are good for trips to the city-sponsored high-volume vaccine sites, hospitals or anywhere else that is offering vaccines. More information on the city-sponsored sites as well as directions on how to get there can be found on  the city vaccination website. We know that getting San Franciscans vaccinated is the city’s highest priority. This program is designed to eliminate transportation and cost barriers to receiving this life-changing vaccine. How to Ride on Muni Use our  trip planner  or  service map  to find the best way to get to your vacc...

FOX NEWS: Couple gets married at 'most beautiful' Taco Bell: 'It was the best of both worlds' Analicia Garcia, 24, and Kyle Howser, 25, from Sacramento, California, got married on Tuesday, Oct. 26 and had their reception at the famous Pacifica, California, Taco Bell.

Couple gets married at 'most beautiful' Taco Bell: 'It was the best of both worlds' Analicia Garcia, 24, and Kyle Howser, 25, from Sacramento, California, got married on Tuesday, Oct. 26 and had their reception at the famous Pacifica, California, Taco Bell. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/iznRBtFTJ

New top story from Time: ‘It’s a Catastrophe.’ Iranians Turn to Black Market for Vaccines as COVID-19 Deaths Hit New Highs

https://ift.tt/3AODY94 In January, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the sudden announcement that American and British-made COVID-19 vaccines would be “forbidden” as they were “completely untrustworthy.” Almost nine months later, Iran is facing its worst surge in the virus to date — a record number of deaths and infections per day with nearly 4.2 million COVID-19 patients across the country , and a healthcare system near collapse. “It’s a catastrophe; and there is nothing we can do,” said an anesthesiology resident in one of Tehran’s public hospitals who due to the current surge is tasked to oversee the ICU ward for COVID-19 patients. “We can’t treat them nor help them; so all I can ask people to do is to stay home and do whatever it takes to not get exposed.” The doctor requested anonymity in order to speak freely; others interviewed by TIME asked to be identified only by their first name. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The scale of the crisis is such ...

New Sculptures Light up Van Ness Avenue

New Sculptures Light up Van Ness Avenue By Luis “Loui” Apolonio Light sculpture at Van Ness Avenue and O'Farrell Street Spectators gathered both online and in person to watch new lighting sculptures on Van Ness turned on for the first time on March 31, 2022. The whimsical and brightly colored sculptures located on the new Van Ness BRT boarding platform between Geary and O’Farrell are made of steel with LED lights inside on a timer set to illuminate at night.  The lighting event was kicked off with SFMTA Director Jeff Tumlin and MTAB Chair Gwyneth Borden serving as emcees. Mary Chou, Director of Public Arts and Collections at the San Francisco Arts Commission, spoke about the art installation itself, as well as the process for selecting the artist who would be awarded the project. In addition, Maddy Ruvolo, a member of the SFMTA’s Accessible Services team and a recently appointed member of President Biden’s U.S. Access Board, shared the importance of having accessibility as a ...

Happy Lunar New Year 2022: Year of the Tiger 

Happy Lunar New Year 2022: Year of the Tiger  By Pamela Johnson Lunar New Year is one of the biggest holidays celebrated in many Asian communities. Diverse San Franciscan communities including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese people have long celebrated this festive occasion.  For many, the Lunar New Year brings a fresh mindset and resolutions for happiness and health. A zodiac animal with specific traits represents each year in the repeating zodiac cycle of 12 years. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger, the third animal in the zodiac. The tiger is considered courageous and adventurous.   The holiday follows the moon's cycles and usually begins in late January or early February. This year Lunar New Year begins February 1.   Fun Fact: In the lunar calendar, the Vietnamese zodiac and the Chinese zodiac are similar, but the Vietnamese zodiac includes a cat while the Chinese ...

New T Third Connecting Chinatown to Sunnydale Starts Saturday

New T Third Connecting Chinatown to Sunnydale Starts Saturday By Christopher Ward New Muni Metro map. This Saturday the T Third starts its long-awaited new route connecting Chinatown-Rose Pak Station from 4th & King in Central Subway, Mondays through Fridays, 6 a.m. to midnight every 10 minutes and Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to midnight every 12 minutes.   The K Ingleside will now travel between Balboa Park and Embarcadero Station. Customers using Embarcadero & Folsom, Embarcadero & Brannan and 2nd and King platforms should transfer to the N Judah at Powell Station or 4th & King. Watch the new Muni Metro service  map animations . The following bus service changes also start this Saturday: The T Third Bus will now run along 3rd and 4th Streets in SoMa and on Stockton Street north of Market Street to align with the new T Third rail line and will no longer travel on the Embarcadero and Market Street.   The 6 Haight/Parnassus  will now...

Smarter Traffic Signals Prioritize Transit and People

Smarter Traffic Signals Prioritize Transit and People By Robert Lim Have you ever wondered how traffic signals could better balance the needs of all road users, whether driving, bicycling, walking or taking Muni? The SFMTA is rolling out its Connected Corridor Pilot this month to use transit platform and traffic signal sensor data to inform signal timing adjustments. The pilot also aims to collect information to support transit efficiency and street safety improvements.  Traffic engineers use signal timing adjustments as a tool to prioritize the flow of travel in specific directions or for different travel modes – Muni, people walking or driving – to meet the changing demands of the road network across different timepoints in a day. The Connected Corridors Pilot seeks to push the envelope of innovation by investing in advanced technologies, funded through a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant. These tools will better position the city to serve the potential future ne...