News MAP’s funding package is late and possibly insufficient – but at least it’s (partly) here

Almost a year since News MAP was announced, the first round of funding opened for applications last month.

The $67.6 million Journalism Assistance Fund was broadly welcomed by the industry, although there was some disappointment over eligibility restrictions; newswires and peak bodies such as the Local & Independent News Association are unable to apply.

The industry now looks forward to learning more about the second round of funding, which PIJI understands is labelled the News Innovation Fund.

Attendees of a design consultation meeting for the News Innovation Fund were disappointed in its offering of $31.5 million over two years, telling PIJI the funding will not cover what the industry needs to pursue innovation and sustainability.

But the lengthy wait for support amid growing pressures presented by social media, search engines and AI leaves starving industry players grateful to get anything at all.

The year-long wait also culminated in the release of the News Bargaining Incentive consultation paper.

Under the incentive, large digital platforms will face financial penalties for failure to make adequate commercial deals with news publishers, irrespective of whether the digital platforms carry news content.

The consultation paper makes no mention of the AI chatbots that routinely buy or steal news content, how the incentive will be enforced is unclear and rumblings from the US still threaten retaliatory tariffs.

Nevertheless, the first step in nudging tech giants back to the bargaining table has now been taken, leaving the Australian news media industry heading into the end of the year on a much-needed positive note.

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News MAP launch welcomed, but room for improvement remains

The launch of the first of two rounds of grants is a welcome sign of relief to come – but some industry players say it still falls short of the support needed for the pursuit of sustainability and media diversity.

First step towards News Bargaining Incentive

Nearing two years after Meta walked away from commercial deals with news publishers, the government is attempting to strengthen the News Media Bargaining Code.

Free newswires supporting diverse and sustainable journalism

Newswires can be essential to keep up with the 24/7 news cycle, and some are trying to level the industry’s playing field through open-licensed content.

ICYMI: Industry updates

Australia

• Following multiple Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) redundancies, Media Watch reported the company is ramping up its use of AI to write stories and produce news bulletins using voice clones.
  This comes despite SCA’s assurances job cuts were about streamlining operations and reinforcing local output, not replacing journalists with AI.
  SCA maintains all bulletins continue to be fact-checked, edited and read by journalists based in its provincial and metro hubs across the country.
• About 50 jobs will be cut from Nine Entertainment’s broadcast and streaming division, with several job losses reported in Nine newsrooms around the country.
  Further job cuts are possible after the company announced plans to reduce costs by $100 million in the 2026 and 2027 financial years.
• The ABC apologised for the use of an edited image of Liberal senator Jane Hume in an episode of Insiders.
  The image depicted Hume holding a newspaper with three of her Coalition colleagues on the front page, whereas the original 2022 photograph showed Hume holding a front page featuring Prime Minister Anthony Albanese alongside the headline “Life will be cheaper under me”.
  The ABC said what was meant to be a “satirical” edit ended up being “misleading and inaccurate”.
• ABC staff voted to reject an enterprise agreement which the ABC MEAA House Committee said cut conditions and offered a pay increase that would not keep up with inflation.
  The ABC told Crikey the offer “ensures ABC employees are paid in line with or above other media companies, while also being financially sustainable for the organisation”.
• The Australian Human Rights Commission accepted for investigation four complaints of racial discrimination against News Corp papers, Sky News and high profile commentators including Andrew Bolt and Sharri Markson.
  The complaints relate to coverage of the October 7 massacre, Israel’s ensuing actions in Gaza and reactions in Australia, alleging various articles and media appearances made by the News Corp figures purposely dehumanised and vilified Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and Jewish people in Australia.
• Local news outlets around Victoria would likely face further consolidation or closure if the state government ended its commitment to buying the equivalent of a full page of weekly advertising in local newspapers, a Deakin University report found. 
  The commitment initiated in 2022 is only for the current parliamentary term, but news proprietors surveyed “overwhelmingly” preferred regular, reliable government advertising as a funding mechanism over subsidies, which they considered short term, unreliable and difficult to apply for.
  Three-quarters of political leaders surveyed were not aware of the commitment, but almost half said the arrangement should continue long-term.
• At the 70th Walkley Awards, the ABC’s Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett won the 2025 Gold Walkley for their investigative reporting on Australia’s systemic childcare failures.
  Elsewhere in the ceremony, veteran ABC journalist Kerry O’Brien warned Australian journalists not to be complacent about protecting press freedom.

Around the World

• US President Donald Trump shrugged off the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying “things happen”, during a White House visit from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
  Trump said Khashoggi was “extremely controversial” and bin Salman “knew nothing” about the killing – appearing to contradict a 2021 US intelligence assessment which found the crown prince had approved the operation that led to Khashoggi’s death.
• Fox News and Newsmax produced stories featuring footage of alleged SNAP beneficiaries threatening to steal amid the US government shutdown – but the footage was soon revealed to be AI-generated.
• Condé Nast announced Teen Vogue would be folded into Vogue.com, with ensuing layoffs including the youth publication’s politics editor. The shuttering of the site was widely received as a loss to youth-led political journalism.
  Four Condé Nast employees were later fired after questioning the layoffs; Condé Nast said the firings were based on “conduct that violated company policies”, which the Condé United union denied.
• In the UK, two senior BBC bosses resigned following accusations of systemic bias in news coverage. The issue exploded over edited footage of a speech made by US President Donald Trump on the day of 2021 Capitol attack.
  Trump said he intends to sue the BBC for up to US$5 billion over the edit. The BBC apologised but said it would not pay financial compensation.
• Journalists went on strike in Italy after talks about the renewal of their collective contract – which expired in 2016 – broke down.
  Italian journalists’ salaries have reportedly been frozen since the expiry.
  The trade union FNSI said publishers want to bring in a two-tier system in which newly hired journalists would have fewer rights, such as no extra pay for working on a Sunday, in exchange for a contract renewal.
• Switzerland’s public broadcaster SRG announced it is set to cut 900 full-time positions by 2029.
  The layoffs come amid budget cuts imposed by the government, following a decision by the Swiss cabinet to reduce the broadcasting licence fee paid by households which generates most of SRG’s funding.
  The pressure on SRG comes despite a show of support from voters in a 2018 referendum which shot down a proposal to abolish the national broadcasting licence fee.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina’s public broadcaster BHRT warns it is on the brink of collapse due to mounting debt largely resulting from a refusal by Serb Republic broadcaster RTRS to transfer license fees.
• At least five journalists covering an olive harvest in the occupied West Bank were left injured after being beaten by Israeli settlers, as violence against both press and Palestinians continues despite the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

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