No reprieve in sight for small, independent media

The Federal Government’s News MAP funding package, announced in December 2024, remains untouched – not a single cent has been spent to support struggling independent media.

When PIJI was invited for a briefing recently, it became painfully clear that the first tranche of the package, possibly opening for applications in November, offers little hope for small, largely volunteer-run publications. These grassroots outlets, which provide essential public interest journalism, are effectively excluded.

Policymakers indicated a second tranche of about $33 million is expected early next year, but the program – meant to foster “innovation” – is still in limbo.

This delays vital assistance by at least 18 months, a crippling timeline for small publications already battling shrinking resources and readership. Many will have shuttered by the time the second tranche opens.

News MAP is run within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts whose purpose, stated at the bottom of all email communications, is ‘Connecting Australians • Enriching Communities • Empowering Regions’.

The delay in implementing News MAP is more than just a funding failure; it endangers social cohesion and democracy, especially in regional communities facing an expanding news desert.

Without these local voices, the public loses scrutiny of power, informed debate and the representation of diverse perspectives.

This month, we feature the survival stories of two publications, the Orange News Examiner and Prom Coast News.

Orange News Examiner founder Peter Holmes gives us a no-holds-barred account of the struggle to keep his independent masthead afloat – a struggle he sadly lost.

Prom Coast News co-founders Mohya Davies and Kaye Rodden OAM share the inspiring story of how a small community came together to keep local news flowing after the 134-year-old Foster Mirror shuttered; but the Prom Coast News is still in a month-to-month, hand-to-mouth position.

– Alex Cramb, PIJI CEO

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.

The Orange News Examiner battled the digital ad vacuum – and lost 

To rewrite a popular adage, ‘build an audience, and advertisers will come’; in the current digital era, that dream is hard to make reality for news startups, as Peter Holmes found out the hard way.

How a community resuscitated local news in Victoria’s South Gippsland 

When a century-old local paper printed its final edition, South Gippsland locals took action rather than stoically succumb to the steady decline of local news.

ICYMI: Industry updates

Australia

• A new report from the Australian Local News Resilience Project argues partnership programs with direct government support and dedicated funding are more likely to have a broader impact on the news ecosystem, highlighting international examples.
  The study, led by Deakin University, with the support of Griffith University and in partnership with the ABC, aims to build a model for strategic collaboration between the ABC and local news producers in Australia.
  Internationally, popular collaborative initiatives include content and resource sharing, investigative, data and accountability reporting, training, emergency collaboration, research, innovation and advocacy.
• The ABC revealed plans to expand its regional content sharing program, in a decision informed by the Australian Local News Resilience Project.
  This will allow publishers in regional, rural and remote areas to use ABC News digital content during significant events, including weather crises, accidents, protests and other emergencies.
• The Australian government ruled out a copyright exemption which would have allowed AI models to be trained on creative works.
  The decision followed strong backlash from the creative and media sector already battling the effects of scraping. Instead, talks will advance with tech groups and rights holders on a licensing framework and a new small claims regime.
• A year after releasing AI Overviews, Google launched new ‘answer-engine’ AI Mode in Australia.
  With AI Mode, user queries are answered with in-depth AI-generated responses comprised of information scraped from the web. This has sparked fears that Google is moving further into a ‘zero-click’ system, where users will no longer need to click on links to get information, further depriving websites of traffic.
• Within the first month of AI Mode’s local release, it had a major ‘hallucination’ mishap, resulting in a Sydney Morning Herald graphic designer being falsely named as a child murderer.
• Australian Community Media (ACM) staff raised concerns over the rollout of a generative AI model in newsrooms, including claims the software produced headlines with false information and “troubling” legal advice.
  An ACM spokesperson told the ABC the assertions were “flawed”, and the software was not used to write stories or to be relied on for legal advice.
• Investigative journalist Nick McKenzie’s home was broken into, an event McKenzie believes was “designed to intimidate” him for his work. A police investigation is ongoing.
• Nine Entertainment publications reported SBS journalists remain unable to use the word ‘Palestine’ in editorial copy without qualification, apart from specific contexts like direct quotes or official organisation names.
  This is despite Australia’s recent recognition of the state of Palestine. SBS confirmed its guidance is now to refer to the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories, which Australia recognises as the State of Palestine’.

Around the World

• In the US, dozens of journalists turned in their access badges and left the Pentagon after refusing to bow to new restrictions on reporting.
  Journalists had been asked to sign a pledge to refrain from reporting information without the authorisation of the US Department of War. Even some Trump-friendly organisations, including Fox News and Newsmax, refused to sign on.
  Only four American reporters signed the pledge, all from right-wing outlets. Other signatories were freelance, smaller independent publishers and foreign publishers – initially including The Australian, before it withdrew consent after being questioned and ‘reviewing’ the new rules.
  Later in the month, the White House announced credentialed journalists would no longer have free access to an office in the West Wing used by communications staff.
• The Pacific Freedom Forum completed a crowdfunding campaign to support journalists facing legal challenges and employment retaliation in the Pacific region.
  The GoFundMe campaign ran from June to September and raised $2600, which will go towards helping four journalists who have been targeted for their reporting: Lagi Keresoma (Samoa), Hennah Joku (Papua New Guinea), Leilani Reklai (Palau) and Cullighan Tanda (Papua New Guinea).
• Palestinian news media workers continue to be killed by Israeli strikes, despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
• Concerns are growing for journalists in El-Fasher, Sudan, which was recently captured by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
  As thousands of civilians were reportedly killed during the takeover, several journalists also reportedly went missing.
  Videos circulated online show freelance journalist Muammar Ibrahim being detained by armed RSF fighters after attempting to leave the city; the Committee to Protect Journalists is calling for his release.
• Journalists and media outlets in Türkiye reporting on issues relating to gender identity and sexual orientation could face criminal charges if leaked draft legal reforms are adopted.
  The proposed reforms represent a significant rollback of LGBTQI+ rights in the country, also criminalising behaviour deemed “contrary to biological sex and general morality” and sharply restricting access to gender-affirming health care.
• Ahead of the eighth anniversary of the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, several press freedom and journalists’ groups called on Maltese authorities to establish a National Action Plan on Media Freedom and Journalist Safety.
  Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack motivated by her work in 2017; seven men were charged in regards to the murder, with two receiving life sentences earlier this year.
• AI generated content farms are seizing dormant news site domains, often generating content based on stories stolen from real journalists.
• Leading AI assistants misrepresent news content in nearly half of responses, according to new research by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC.
  With people increasingly turning to AI assistants instead of traditional search engines for news, public trust could be undermined, the EBU said.

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