Unfriend Facebook ad campaign launched

TORONTO, July 2, 2019 /CNW/ - This morning, the watchdog group FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting launched the first newspaper ad campaign by a third party during the pre-election period. The group's Unfriend Facebook ad has appeared in various Postmedia publications, including the National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, and the Sun papers. FRIENDS plans to place the ad in dozens more publications across the country this week.

The ad urges federal party leaders to Unfriend Facebook by closing a tax loophole that subsidizes the price of ads sold by foreign internet media giants with 1.6 billion public dollars a year.

"The federal government spends more on subsidies of foreign media companies that pollute our democracy than it spends on the CBC, which upholds it. These subsidies to the likes of Facebook are also worth more than 10 times the government's rescue package for print media", says Daniel Bernhard, FRIENDS' Executive Director. "This is not a conservative or progressive issue. It's a backbone issue. We are calling on all party leaders close the internet advertising tax loophole. Stop funding the companies that poison our democracy, and get serious about supporting the medicine that will save it: fearless, professional, Canadian journalism."

The FRIENDS ad is running in support of grassroots campaigns the group is sponsoring in 22 battleground ridings across the country which will be critical to win in order for any political party to form a government.

"Hundreds of FRIENDS volunteers are working in key ridings to make local voters' support for public broadcasting impossible to miss." Bernhard says.  "Common sense and public opinion research confirm that there is a strong appetite for reining in Silicon Valley. The leaders should take note. Decisive action will win them real votes. And dithering will cost them, and the country, dearly."

SOURCE Friends of Canadian Broadcasting