The Digital Publishers Alliance (DPA) has taken out a full page ad in the Australian Financial Review criticising Meta's move to stop paying Australian publishers for their premium content.
The non-profit industry body representing more than 120 titles from 55 independent publishers said the US-based company will "have a direct detrimental effect on our news ecosystem and society".
"A sustainable, robust and diverse media industry is the basis for a well-functioning democracy and plays a vital role in sharing information and ensuring accountability," the ad said.
The DPA said that a likely outcome of Meta's move is "a rise in mis- and disinformation on your platforms, less trusted sources, fewer journalists and a weakened society".
"Australia needs more diversity in its media, not less."
Big media groups including Seven and Nine, ACM and News Corp' have called for action against Meta.
Meta will in early April cut Facebook News, a dedicated tab in the bookmarks section that spotlights news in the US and Australia.
Meta has said that the number of people using Facebook News in Australia and the US "dropped by over 80% last year".
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