The West Australian’s editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie will leave the state’s major newspaper for a Sydney-based role running Seven West Media’s news and current affairs mastheads.
The West Australian’s editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie will leave the state’s major newspaper for a Sydney-based role running Seven West Media’s news and current affairs mastheads.
Mr De Ceglie will start in the role tomorrow. Chris Dore, who was editor-in-chief of The Australian until his 2022 resignation for health reasons, will fill in as acting editor of The West.
Mr Dore recently joined Seven West’s free digital paper, The Nightly, as a columnist – his first major role since his departure from The Australian, which came shortly after allegations of lewd behavour at an event in California.
It is unclear whether Mr Dore will relocate to Perth to take up the interim role.
The departure comes following the sudden resignation of current Seven Network director of news and public affairs Craig McPherson, whose position was under pressure following revelations over the network’s conduct stemming from the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial.
It marks a significant promotion for Mr De Ceglie, who replaced The West Australian’s previous editor-in-chief Brett McCarthy in 2019 and adopted a more tabloid approach to news.
His remit over The West Australian, The Sunday Times, PerthNow, 19 regional newspapers and The Nightly – Seven West’s recently launched free digital paper – made him one of the most influential news voices in the state.
“It’s an absolute privilege and honour to step into one of the most important roles in rews in the country, and to do so at such a pivotal and important time for our industry,” Mr De Ceglie said.
“I can’t wait to work with the many, many brilliant creative people across the network who put all our products to air.”
It’s understood staff at Seven West’s Osborne Park headquarters were informed of the decision this morning.
A full-time replacement for Mr De Ceglie will be appointed in due course.
Seven West Media shares dropped more than 4 per cent to 22c in early trade this morning.
