News Bargaining Incentive should look beyond headcounts

Australia now has dozens of news deserts and many more news-poor communities with only limited local coverage.

Since 2019, hundreds of newsroom contractions, publication closures and service reductions have been recorded nationwide.

This is not simply a commercial problem. It is a democratic problem.

Successive governments deserve credit for recognising the issue. Importantly, support for public interest journalism has remained bipartisan.

The News Media Bargaining Code was an important first intervention. It recognised that digital platforms derive substantial value from news content and should contribute financially to the production of journalism.

However, the scheme also exposed significant structural weaknesses.

Large commercial publishers were best positioned to secure deals, while many small, independent and regional outlets struggled to participate on equal terms.

The Commonwealth’s proposed Statutory Payment Scheme is therefore an important next step. By levying major digital platforms that refuse to enter commercial agreements, the scheme seeks to create a more stable and equitable funding framework for Australian journalism.

But careful policy design is critical.

It is essential that everyone has the opportunity for a seat at the table, and any funds flowing from this incentive scheme must get to the organisations that need them most.

Read more from PIJI chair Allan Fels AO through the link below.

PIJI is an independent advocacy organisation. We appreciate your support.

Please consider forwarding this newsletter to someone interested in the sustainability of public interest journalism and its importance to the survival of democracy.

Allan Fels: Democracy dies in news deserts

Public interest journalism informs citizens, scrutinises power and strengthens accountability. But Australia’s news ecosystem is under pressure.

Questions from Liberal senator highlight cross-party support for Australian news

Australia’s major political parties are divided on many issues, but an Opposition member’s comments in Senate estimates underscored cross-party support for the country’s news media industry.

Is New Zealand putting politics over function in axing broadcast regulator?

New Zealand is set to abolish its broadcast industry regulator, but experts are concerned the lack of an appropriate replacement means the move will do more harm than good.

‘Performative’ attacks on Aussie journalists unlikely to escalate

As the US government continues to antagonise news publishers, some Australian politicians may be tempted to follow suit – but could find locals won’t give them as much slack.

You’re invited!

The twelfth annual edition of Digital News Report: Australia, looking into behaviours and attitudes towards trust, AI use in news, news influencers and public service media, launches next week.

• The launch event will include an overview of key findings by the report’s lead author, Professor Sora Park, followed by an expert panel hosted by Dr Caroline Fisher and including:
• Mandy Wicks, News Director, SBS
• Zara Seidler, Co-founder, The Daily Aus
• Rebecca Costello, Managing Director, Guardian Australia
• Tony Kendall, Managing Director, Australian Community Media

Date: Tuesday 16 June, 2026

Time: 9am – 10am AEST (online)

RSVP today through this link.

ICYMI: Industry updates

Australia

• Meta criticised the proposed News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) as “grossly unfair” and said it “will fail to deliver a diverse and sustainable news industry”.
  The tech giant, whose retreat from partnerships with Australian news publishers helped trigger closures, lay-offs and the introduction of the NBI, said news organisations voluntarily share content for free on Meta’s platforms because “they derive real commercial benefits”.
• A copyright battle between an abattoir and a group of animal rights activists could have wider consequences for whistleblowing and press freedom in Australia.
  The High Court is considering whether copyright of footage filmed in the abattoir by activists, which was sent to news media, belongs to the abattoir or activists. An earlier Federal Court decision held that the copyright belonged to the abattoir.
  Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom executive director Peter Greste said the “Full Court judgment … risks giving those who want wrongdoing covered up additional legal ammunition to shutdown public interest journalism.”
• Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, bankrolled former Seven media executive Bruce McWilliam’s acquisition of an almost 10 per cent stake in Southern Cross Media (owner of the Seven Network, Triple M, the Hit Network and The West Australian).
  Roger Corbett, who chaired Fairfax while Rinehart was a shareholder, said it would be “extremely difficult” for the mining magnate to be a significant shareholder “without expressing her views on how that media organisation should report the news.”
• BHP launched, then discontinued, legal action against independent publisher Michael West Media over its reporting on a wage theft case brought by an injured miner. 
• NT Police cleared an officer who pepper sprayed a Network 10 camera operator in the face during a riot in Alice Springs, labelling the officer’s actions as “not inappropriate in the particular circumstances”.
  NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole had previously apologised for the incident and said it was “not an appropriate use of force.”
• WA Police launched an annual award for crime reporters which will be presented to three winners, along with a cash prize of up to $2000 per winner.
  WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the new accolade was intended to acknowledge and encourage the vital work of reporters, but the move sparked some concern about possible conflicts of interest and the effect on perceptions about editorial independence.
• The ABC and AAP launched a one-year content-sharing trial designed to support regional news providers during public emergencies.
• The under-16 social media ban has limited reach, but when it does work, one in two ‘significantly affected’ young Australians say they are getting less news, according to new research.
  Researchers found the social media ban ends young people’s news engagement rather than redirecting it.
• ACMA published updated interactive data reports in its News media in Australia series, offering insights into news consumption, trust, impact and the journalism workforce in Australia.
  Among other sources, the regulator drew on some data from PIJI’s discontinued Australian News Data Project for reports on news outlet controllers, news outlets and news content.

Around the World

• After a string of embarrassing AI slips, including from in-house staff, The New York Times reportedly issued a “reminder” to freelancers that all content submitted “must be the product of human creativity and craft”, with no AI generation, modification or enhancements.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times over a piece which featured allegations of “widespread Israeli sexual violence” against Palestinian men, women and children.
  Israel’s foreign ministry labelled the story “the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press”. The New York Times stood by journalist Nicholas Kristof and his “extensively fact-checked” work.
• CNN filed a lawsuit against AI-powered search engine Perplexity, alleging it unlawfully copied thousands of CNN stories, videos and images to power its products and distribute “identical or substantially similar” ​content.
  In response, a Perplexity spokesperson said, “You can’t copyright facts.”
• In May, journalist killings included Guatemalan journalist Carlos Humberto Cal Ical, who was shot outside his home; Filipino radio broadcaster Nestor Micator, whose shooting was possibly connected to his reporting on illegal drug trafficking; and Colombian journalist Mateo Pérez Rueda, who was killed while travelling to report on the conflict between the Colombian army and an armed rebel group.
• In northeastern Italy, the home of local journalist Adriano Cappellari was targeted in an arson attack while he was inside.
  The attack came after Cappellari received threats over his reporting on a priest known for taking a stance against organised crime.
• In one week, RSF recorded at least 14 attacks targeting journalists and media crews covering social protests in Bolivia. These attacks ranged from beatings to lynching threats.
  Reporters and media crews told RSF they stopped wearing press credentials and were covering demonstrations from a distance or anonymously out of fear of being attacked.
• In Nigeria, more than 300 journalists received free medical screenings during the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council’s Press Week.
  NUJ FCT Council chair Comrade Grace Ike said many media practitioners neglected their own wellbeing while dedicating their time to serving the public interest.
  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) lists Nigeria as one of West Africa’s most dangerous countries for journalists.

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