The Daily Mail’s Australian website will be unaffected by Facebook’s threat to ban original news reporting if changes the new code of conduct are introduced into Australia.

Under the new provisions, Facebook will be required to pay publishers of news content for the content they feature. Facebook has threatened to ban all news content from its platform in retaliation. However, because the Daily Mail doesn’t contain any actual news, it would be unaffected by the ban.

But the Daily Mail hit back at suggestions that its website lacks original reporting, issuing a scathing press release defending its journalistic ethics. It later admited that the press release was lifted from an article on Buzzfeed.

A spokesperson for Facebook said the new code was an outrageous example of the government doing its job. “It is outrageous that we would be expected to pay for content we use,” said a spokesperson for Facebook.

A few moments later, The Daily Mail released the following statement: “It is outrageous that we would be expected to pay for content we use.”

A consortium of powerful media companies have been pushing for changes to media laws, which would see the government tax Facebook and Google for their use of news content, and then give those proceeds to Rupert Murdoch. “It’s just a way of funding the pay-offs that Murdoch receives shortly before every election,” said one Liberal Party insider.

The ABC, which runs the largest news operation in Australia, will be excluded from the payments over fears the money would not be used to attack Daniel Andrews.