Seven news boss Anthony De Ceglie has warned of the dangers of social media giants and AI company ChatGPT

Seven’s head of news Anthony De Ceglie is demanding the federal government take urgent action to protect the future of journalism | WATCH

Seven West Media news boss Anthony De Ceglie speaking at the Melbourne Press Club. Photo: Emily Kulich/Melbourne Press Club.

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Social media giants including TikTok, X and Instagram are the biggest threats to traditional media outlets, and time is running out to protect the news industry from the “evil forces” of big tech, Seven West Media’s news boss Anthony De Ceglie has warned.

Speaking at a Melbourne Press Club event on Tuesday, De Ceglie urged the federal government to take swift action to ensure the sustainability of the news media by addressing the harms, and the misinformation, that tech companies are unleashing across society.

“Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labelled Meta arrogant bullies who should fess up to the damage they cause,” he said during his address.

“NSW Premier Chris Minns has spoken many times about how social media platforms cynically use algorithms to push dangerous conspiracy theories onto impressionable people – creating a vicious spiral down a rabbit hole he calls the ‘dark corners of the internet’.

“Against these evil forces – and calling them that is not an exaggeration – there is only one true antidote.

“The news. The truth. The fourth estate.”

Meta abandoned agreements set out under the News Media Bargaining Code – which became law in 2021 – and the federal government is still deliberating on whether to “designate” Meta under the legislation.

De Ceglie told The Australian on Tuesday the federal government “definitely should” designate Meta – the owner of Facebook and Instagram – before the upcoming federal election.

He said it was time for leaders to “stop talking and start acting and I think that starts with them designating Meta”.

The Code ensures that news outlets receive fair remuneration from social media giants in return for using news content on their sites to attract users.

During his address, De Ceglie highlighted the dangers of social media platforms, but also artificial intelligence giant ChatGPT.

“Now our biggest threat is TikTok, X, Instagram and ChatGPT,” De Ceglie said.

“In the case of TikTok, it’s no longer Seven versus Nine – it’s both of us versus an algorithm powered by the Chinese government.

“In the case of X, it’s no longer News Corp versus Fairfax – it’s the Australian media up against Elon Musk … whose net worth is currently valued at more than $US250 billion.”

Six months ago, De Ceglie was appointed by Seven West chair Kerry Stokes to take over the media company’s news division.

Since then, De Ceglie has drastically overhauled Seven’s news arm, installing fresh news anchors, news directors and executive producers across its metro bulletins and national programs.

De Ceglie urged the federal government – who have repeatedly warned of the dangers

of social media – to “step up to help us”.

“If the Prime Minister is genuinely worried about the toxicity of Facebook and Meta and X and TikTok … then bloody well give a helping hand to the journalism that fights for facts,” he said.

News Corp Australasia’s executive chairman Michael Miller said this week mainstream media outlets must be the focus of the federal government’s bid to protect Australian journalism.

“The government is at risk of abandoning the engine rooms of Australian news, which is where the bulk of the jobs are and where the bulk of important Australian stories are told,” he said.

“The parliament’s primary focus should be those deals Meta has walked away from.

“The best way to sustain these media outlets – including the ABC – is by reaching commercial outcomes with Meta and not through government handouts, which are unlikely to be enough to fund journalism as we know it.”

Originally published as Seven news boss Anthony De Ceglie has warned of the dangers of social media giants and AI company ChatGPT