New Zealand's Stuff newspaper group joins Facebook boycott as 'experiment'

New Zealand’s largest newspaper group has temporarily quit Facebook in a bold “experiment” aligning itself with a global boycott of the social media site, which has been condemned for failing to crack down on escalating hate speech.

Stuff is the biggest news media website in New Zealand and owns dozens of newspapers around the country, employing more than 400 journalists.

Recently bought by former group digital editor Sinead Boucher for $1, the company has “paused” its relationship with Facebook and Instagram; directing staff to stop posting breaking news and stories to those platforms immediately.

Related: From police beat to Stuff owner: meet Sinead Boucher, New Zealand's newest media mogul

According to the internal email from Stuff’s deputy editor Janine Fenwick, sent to staff early on Monday, the company was “trialling ceasing all activity on Facebook-owned networks” as part of a global boycott to pressure the social media giant to take stronger action against hate speech on its platform.

“As of today all our Social Flow streams will be paused and our groups archived. We will stop posting to Instagram” the email read.

Mark Zuckerberg has dismissed the threat of a boycott from major advertisers including Starbucks and Coca-Cola, saying they will be back “soon enough”.

Stuff employees told the Guardian the company’s move had been positively received inside the organisation.

The move was an “experiment”, Fenwick’s email said, and the results would be “closely monitored”.

“We stopped advertising on Facebook soon after the Christchurch mosque attacks in Christchurch, as we did not want to contribute financially to a platform that profits of publishing hate speech and violence.” Fenwick wrote.

“The current experiment is in the context of the international Boycott Facebook movement, and applies until further notice.”

The Guardian has approached Facebook for comment.

Patrick Crewdson, Stuff editor-in-chief, said fair and accurate news reporting was essential to society, and as New Zealand’s largest domestic website, the company “wants to make sure we’re operating in environments that foster public trust rather than erode it”

“Stuff recently moved into New Zealand ownership, and a big part of our new era is a focus on growth in public trust as our key measure of success. We’ve all seen examples of social ills on Facebook that aren’t compatible with trust - for instance, the spreading of fake news and hate speech,” Crewdson said.

“We’re doing this as a trial so we can find the right balance between reaching New Zealanders with the news they need, and ensuring Kiwis can have confidence in the veracity of what they see.”

Related: How hate speech campaigners found Facebook’s weak spot

Massey University journalism lecturer Catherine Strong said the decision was “admirable”, and she had “jumped for joy” when she heard the news.

“Stuff is thumbing its nose at the big boys, and I congratulate the new owner for this bold and ethical move,” Strong said.

“Owners of Facebook and Instagram have long focused solely on profits and have been purveyors of dangerous fake news. Even during the current COVID crisis, Facebook continues to perpetuate false and dangerous postings about the pandemic.”

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern said as a politician she could not afford to quit the platform as it was one of her primary means of connecting with voters, but she strongly urged social media sites to do more to address issues with hate speech.

“I don’t think we’re at the point [of walking away]. Progress has been made. Do I want it to speed up? Yes.”

The move follows in the footsteps at least 500 other companies including Target, Ford, Honda and Levi Strauss. Combined, the companies advertising commitment to Facebook stretches into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The global boycott is expected to last at least a month, and is like nothing Facebook has experienced before; taking aim at the social network’s $70bn in annual ad revenue. However, according to Facebook insiders the majority of the companies add revenue is generated from small to medium size business – few of which are showing signs of joining the boycott.

According to a report by tech news site the Information, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg views the boycott as a PR issue rather than a serious threat, and is not planning a major response. “We’re not gonna change our policies or approach on anything because of a threat to a small percent of our revenue, or to any percent of our revenue,” he said.

The boycott is a “reputational and a partner issue” rather than an economic one, Zuckerberg told staff, according to a transcript obtained by the news site. “My guess is that all these advertisers will be back on the platform soon enough.”

Like all media companies, Facebook is a major platform for driving traffic to the Stuff website, drawing huge swaths of traffic and promoting the brand, with the company garnering nearly 1 million ‘likes’ on its Facebook homepage alone.