‘They don’t negotiate, they dictate’: Government urged to stand up to social media giants

News Corp Australasia Executive Chairman Michael Miller has urged the government to stand up to social media giants. Major media bosses across Australia are facing a joint select committee on Friday as it looks into the influence and impacts of social media on Australian society. “The experience of Australia’s media companies in dealing with social platforms, particularly Meta, is important because right now Meta is preparing to blackmail not just we in the news industry, but also you as a government,” Mr Miller said. “By refusing to renew its agreement to pay for news content, Meta is daring Australia to apply the laws this parliament was united in passing three years ago. “It is getting ready to say: ‘If you dare designate us under the Media Bargaining Code, we will punish you by blocking Australian access to local news.’ “This is an illustration of the way they behave. They don’t negotiate, they dictate.”