Australia’s first newsroom database

PIJI is proud to announce that it will be expanding the Australian Newsroom Mapping Project (ANMP) to include The Full Picture, a comprehensive database of Australia’s newsrooms across all states and territories. 

The database will be visualised geographically, giving the industry its first ever national, birds-eye view of what areas benefit from dedicated local news production.

“This is the natural next step of evolution for the ground-breaking ANMP project,” explains PIJI CEO Anna Draffin.

“PIJI is so often asked whether we have this information, that we decided it was time we did. The information simply doesn’t exist anywhere in Australia, including with the regulator. This is a hugely important piece of the puzzle in developing effective and comprehensive public policy that will support public interest journalism moving forward.”

PIJI’s crucial, independent work is made possible thanks to our existing funders, returning funder Ruffin Falkiner Foundation and our funding partner Mannifera. You can read more about this below.

Also being released today is the ANMP May Report, which shows five new entries and one closure. Two new operations launched in Melbourne, one in regional Victoria, one in regional NSW and one in Sydney. Orange City Life Newswatch had closed its doors, blaming the end of jobkeeker and sustained depression in advertising revenue.

Senate Appearance

PIJI CEO Anna Draffin this week appeared in front of the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee to address the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment Bill 2021.

Draffin explained that PIJI supports the time extension for the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund to disperse funds and emphasised the fund is critical to smaller news media players, particularly those who lack capacity to bargain with the digital platforms directly.

Smaller and regional media are finding themselves under renewed pressure with the final dispersal of the government’s Public Interest News Gathering (PING) funding and the end of JobKeeper.

In addition, the Senate Inquiry into Press Freedom handed down its report in May and a number of PIJI recommendations were included in the final proposals.

You can read the full PIJI submission to the Press Freedom Inquiry inquiry here.

New Partners

We are extremely pleased to announce that Mannifera has joined our growing list of supporters. The Ruffin Falkiner Foundation has also made another funding commitment. Both of these funders will enable PIJI to commence new work exploring solutions for public interest news’ sustainability.

Mannifera is a collective of Australian foundations that support organisations in civil society working to build public trust, transparency and fairness in democracy, and create a more inclusive economy.

PIJI is a registered charity partnered by the newDemocracy Foundation, Susan McKinnon Foundation, Australian Communities Foundation, H&L Hecht Trust, Thinkerbell, Judith Neilson Institute of Journalism and Ideas, Reichstein Foundation and Beecher Family Foundation.

We are focussed on a limited shelf life to deliver our full impact by mid-2023. We are currently seeking funding for our final two years. If you would like to learn more about PIJI and ways in which you can fund our work, please contact our CEO Anna Draffin.

Recent Media Coverage

Australia

• WIN’s cut to regional media a ‘blow to democracy’. AdNews, June 4
• Australia’s news media play an important role reminding the country that Black lives still matter. The Conversation, June 3
• Axing local TV bulletins could be in breach of federal Public Interest News Gathering grant rules. ABC, May 26
• Bulletin axe a loss for everyone. Sunshine Coast Daily, May 27

International

USA

• Why we need to protect a free press everywhere. Chicago Tribune, June 3
• Twitter Rolls Out Hashtag to Save Local Journalism. VOA News, May 11

United Kingdom

• How will covid-19 shape the future of UK court reporting? Journalism.co.uk, June 2.
• Journalists asked to share stories of abuse in government safety drive. Guardian, June 2.

New Zealand

• Letter from the Editor: How journalism moved the dial on Uyghurs. Stuff.co.nz, May 22.

News

A monthly selection of new research from academic and industry groups, relevant to the future of public interest journalism.

• Newspapers and political participation: the relationship between ballot rolloff and local newspaper circulation , Christopher Chapp, Peter Aehl, Newspaper Research Journal
• From one division of labor to the other: the relation between beat reporting, freelancing and journalistic autonomy , Sarah Van Leuven, Bart Vanhaelewyn, Karin Raeymaeckers, Journalism Practice
• Are public service media distinctive from the market? Interpreting the political information environments of BBC and commercial news in the United Kingdom
  Stephen Cushion, European Journal of Communication
• Covering COVID: journalists’ stress and perceived organizational support while reporting on the pandemic , Gretchen Hoak, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly