Vital southwest emergency services wiped in Facebook ban
Not-for-profit RACQ LifeFlight Rescue, which performs hundreds of vital rescue missions across southwest Queensland, has been caught in the crossfire with Facebook’s news ban.
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In a dramatic move by Facebook to take a stance and ban all Australian news across its social media site, meant one vital service, that not only Queenslanders, but people around the world rely on, was unnecessarily impacted.
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RACQ LifeFlight Rescue said they were adversely affected by Facebook's changes that were introduced on Thursday, February 18.
In a statement, RACQ LifeFlight Rescue said they are imploring Facebook to reverse the decision to shut down their page.
They have been corresponding with Facebook throughout the day, explaining the important role of their page and asking for it to be restored, but unfortunately the matter has still not been resolved.
RACQ LifeFlight Rescue is a vital aeromedical retrieval service, which people around Queensland - and the world - rely on, for lifesaving medical evacuations and treatment.
Last year alone, RACQ LifeFlight Rescue crews completed more than 6,000 critical missions, valued at over $50 million dollars, but their service is provided at no cost to patients.
RACQ LifeFlight Rescue's Facebook page is primarily used to raise awareness for their service, as they rely heavily on community contributions.
RACQ LifeFlight Rescue is a trusted source of credible information.
They have significant reach on Facebook and their only involvement in this issue, is sharing their own good news stories about the lifesaving work their helicopter and jet crews have performed.
Of course, they have a website and other social media platforms, but their Facebook audience is strongest and resonates with supporters, they said.
RACQ LifeFlight Rescue applauds Facebook for monitoring and terminating accounts providing misinformation and harmful views.
Shutting down their charity page removes a valuable source of truth and health information from the public arena.
They said the removal of public access to their page should be urgently reversed.
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