A Message From PIJI’s CEO
Welcome to the first PIJI update for 2021. It remained a busy time over the summer for news media industry and the PIJI team due to a number of different parliamentary and industry inquiries. Our activity continues to ramp up with new upcoming research.
We are investigating the potential for philanthropic giving to support the production of public interest journalism, specific to the Australian context.
It is the second part of a three-part series focussed on how various methods of taxation reform could support the evolution of news media. The first part of the series was an investigation into industry tax rebates.
We look forward to engaging with trusts, foundations and donors in this research with our project partners – Philanthropy Australia, ProBono and Australian Communities Foundation. This research will add to a better understanding of the mix of levers needed to support what is an essential plank of our democracy.
PIJI continues to provide comment and context to a wide audience. You may have even caught us in Good Weekend this week.
~Anna Draffin, CEO, PIJI
Mapping Project
In January the Australian Newsroom Mapping Project logged 11 changes, comprising both recent and backdated expansions to the public interest journalism landscape.
This takes the current tally of expansions to 74, compared to 194 contractions. The net number of contractions since January 2019 is 120.
The four expansions in January were new services and masthead launches, while the seven backdated changes from last year were masthead launches.
One entry was also converted from expansion to contraction with the apparent closure of The CQ Reporter, which launched in August 2020.
Click here to read about this month’s logged expansions and see whether any occurred in your local area.
Submissions, Policy
In January we made a follow-up submission on the Treasury Laws Amendment (New Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code) Bill 2020, with our partner The Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
We continue to engage broadly across industry, government and other stakeholders on the legislative process.
In January also we made a submission to the Senate inquiry into media diversity in Australia.
Our policy work was also complemented by our submission on DIGI’s draft Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation, as highlighted in our December update.
Recent Media Coverage
Australia
- “So you want to start newspaper in the middle of a pandemic?”, Good Weekend, Feb 6
- Google retracts its threat to leave, The Australian, Feb 5
- ‘It’s a good proposal, it makes sense’: Microsoft backs proposed media bargaining laws, The Age, Feb 4
- Canada joins big tech fight, The Australian, Feb 4
- “It’s a bad deal”: Google’s offer to pay French publishers revealed, SMH, Feb 1
International
USA
- Ideas for financing public interest journalism, International Journalists’ Network, January 18
United Kingdom
- What does the UK launch of Facebook News mean for public interest journalism?, Journalism.co.uk, January 27
USA
- New report outlines COVID-era proposals to save journalism. Columbia Journalism Review, January 13
News
This is a monthly selection of new research from academic and industry groups, relevant to the future of public interest journalism.
- Expanding boundaries in Indigenous news: Guardian Australia, 2018 – 2020
Alanna Myers, Lisa Waller, David Nolan, Kerry McCallum | Journalism Practice - Time well spent: ABC journalists reflect on slow journalism and the remote communities project
Janet Fulton, Paul Scott | Journalism Practice - Local media in a digital market: establishing niche and promoting original reporting to ensure sustainability, Mirjana Pantic | Journalism Practice
- Community newspaper editors’ perspectives on news collaboration: participatory opportunities and ethical considerations toward citizen news engagement
Deborah S Chung, Seungahn Nah | Journalism Practice