PIJI’s latest research, Court Reporting in Regional Australia, reveals that public interest journalism in regional Australia is predominantly concentrated within major news organizations and primarily focuses on coverage at the Local Court level, rather than district or higher courts.  This new insight report is based on a six-month analysis of court reporting in regional New South Wales, conducted in October 2023 and April 2024.

The results of the quantitative assessments over the two periods are highly consistent.  It includes interview-based research with journalists and editors to understand court reporting in regional New South Wales from a practice perspective.

Insights from journalists and editors suggest that the financial, time and training requirements of court reporting can act as barriers for smaller publications, even where there is a desire to conduct court reporting, or belief that court coverage is an important pillar of public interest journalism.

You can access the full report here.