PIJI-industry consultations under way

PIJI continues to engage in broad consultation ahead of the submission deadline for the government’s Media Reform Green Paper on May 23, both around the possible spectrum changes floated in the paper, but also the possibility of a public interest news gathering (PING) trust. 

The federal government’s Green Paper was released in late 2020 and proposes the option for free-to-air commercial broadcasters to swap existing licences for a new type of broadcasting licence which would impose fewer regulatory obligations but entitle them to less spectrum.

PIJI first floated the idea of a centralised PING trust back in its submission to the 2019 Digital Platforms Inquiry conducted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Last week PIJI facilitated a roundtable of taxation and trust experts to further explore the potential workings of such a trust and how it could support the production of public interest news.

In its consultations, PIJI has also met with a range of broadcasters and these meetings will continue. We have also engaged with our international counterparts in the US, Canada, the UK and EU.

We invite Australian broadcasters, public interest journalism producers and our international peers who wish to provide PIJI with feedback on any of the issues raised in the Green Paper to email us.

Industry Roundup

Country Press Australia (CPA)
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has granted CPA members interim authorisation to collectively negotiate with Facebook and Google over payments for news content.  CPA represents 81 members and 160 regional newspapers, which provide local news to regional communities in print and online. You can read the ACCC statement here.

Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas (JNI)
JNI is currently recruiting for a project officer to support the development of projects and assist people involved with programs. The role supports both the grants and education directors. If you’re interested, you can read more here.

Alliance For Journalists Freedom (AJF)
AJF Chair Peter Wilkinson was interviewed in April by The Informer’s George Donikian about the protections needed to support the public’s right to know in our legal code. You can watch the interview here.

Walkley Foundation
Five new journalists are joining the Walkleys judging board, ahead of applications for this year’s awards opening in July. The new additions are:

• Neil Breen, Host, 4BC Breakfast
• Jane Doyle, Presenter, Seven News Adelaide
• Narelda Jacobs, Presenter, Network Ten
• Dean Lewins, Photojournalist, AAP
• Cameron Stewart, Associate Editor, Victoria, The Australian

Mapping Project

The Australian Newsroom Mapping Project‘s (ANMP) April Report logged one expansion and one contraction, but changed the entries for a large number of Australian Community Media publications and notes the merger of a number of News Corp regional digital titles.

The two new entries – both backdated to March – were:

• The Southern Argus, which returned to expanded service in the Alexandrina Council region (SA) after being purchased by Leader Newspapers
• The Moruya Examiner was an Australian Community Media newspaper that merged into the Bay Post (serving Batemans Bay, NSW) early in 2020. ANMP logged the suspension of the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner due to COVID-19, but the merger of the two papers was not logged

At ACM, 14 mastheads no longer have a dedicated web presence; eight in NSW, four in South Australia and two in Western Australia. Three local ACM newspapers (the Armidale Express (NSW), Dungog Chronicle (NSW), Goondiwindi Argus (QLD), Coastal Leader (SA) and Flinders News (SA)) have come back online, so their entries have been removed.

In April at least 17 News Corp titles ceased to exist as standalone websites (as reported by The Guardian), but News confirmed there are no job losses and the mastheads will continue as verticals on the main site, therefore ANMP did not log the changes.

Read more or download the ANMP April Report here.

Recent Media Coverage

Australia

• News Corp Australia merges more than 20 regional newspapers with capital city mastheads. The Guardian, April 29
• Media freedom fraternity must counter attacks on j-education, says JERAA. Asia Pacific Report, May 3
• MEAA to withdraw its support for the Australian Press Council. The Australian, April 22

International

USA

• Are Google and Facebook really the future of journalism? New Policies risk making it so. Columbia Journalism Review, April 28
• Facebook paying $5M to local journalists as part of newsletter focus.The Hill, April 29

United Kingdom

• Ben Spencer, science editor, The Sunday Times, on the future of climate journalism. Journalism.co.uk, April 29

New Zealand

• Is the state buying off media independence? New Zealand Herald, April 1

News

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

• The case for reviewing broadcasting co-regulation, Karen Lee, Derek Wilding, Media International Australia
• Older people’s news dependency and social connectedness
  Caroline Fisher, Sora Park, Jee Young Lee, Kate Holland, Emma John, Media International Australia
• Media in the news: how Australia’s media beat covered two major journalism change events
  Lawrie Zion, Merryn Sherwood, Penny O’Donnell, Timothy Marjoribanks, Matthew Ricketson, Andrew Dodd, Mark Deuze, Bradley Buller, Journalism Practice
• Audience perspectives on paying for local news: a regional qualitative case study
  Angela Ross, Libby Lester and Claire Konkes, Journalism Studies
• Believing and sharing misinformation, fact-checks, and accurate information on social media: the role of anxiety during COVID-19, Isabelle Freiling, Nicole M Krause, Dietram A Scheufele, New Media & Society