TikTok sells itself as a friend of the news industry as Meta retreats
Publishers dipping their toes into TikTok will be wondering just how much the content is currently worth to the platform, as deals struck with Meta approach expiry.
Just days after a blast at a Gaza hospital highlighted the challenges that come with conflict reporting during the social media age, TikTok has pitched itself as a safe haven for fact-based journalism.
The sell, made by TikTok’s Oceania head of trust and safety Jed Horner, came in the throes of a panel discussion at SXSW Sydney last week about “the battle for truth and influence” through the rise of citizen journalism on social media platforms.
He called on more news organisations to engage with the platform and lean into their “authentic voice” to counter the groundswell of misinformation that has become a feature of the information ecosystem during major news events, including the Israel-Hamas war and the recent Voice to Parliament referendum.
“It’s about voice, it's about face, it's about all of those things and how people are consuming information about current events, including news,” Horner said. “And that's really what I would urge media organisations to focus on.”
