Meta’s Ban on Political Ads in Europe Unsettles Newsrooms

Earlier this month, newsrooms across Europe opened their Meta dashboards to find that the company had removed all ads concerning “political, electoral, and social issues.” The move was a response to what Meta called “the unworkable requirements and legal uncertainties” introduced by a new law in the EU that puts strict conditions on the delivery of political advertising online.

Meta’s decision quickly drew criticism for reaching well beyond political ads, however. Swept up in the ban was not just political messaging but also thousands of promotional posts from news outlets, including subscription offers, fundraising drives, even cultural coverage. And it landed at the worst possible time for publishers, right in the middle of year-end campaigns. In France, newsrooms are already preparing coverage of next spring’s municipal elections, which typically relies on paid reach to connect with new audiences and turn followers into subscribers.

“And just like that, all of our campaigns were blocked,” said Marie-Agnès Cuisset, head of digital marketing at La Croix, a major French general-interest Catholic newspaper. It was a blow. “Meta is one of our key drivers: low costs, qualified traffic, and subscriptions,” Cuisset said.