Help us create The Full Picture
PIJI is building a database of local news producers around Australia that will identify gaps in the market and inform future research and policy design. We need your contributions to ensure that we capture as many news producers as possible.
The database is the first stage release of The Full Picture, a new research project that extends PIJI’s existing work, the Australian Newsroom Mapping Project (ANMP), beyond the tracking of changes, to capture and benchmark existing news production around Australia.
For this phase of The Full Picture we are focussed on outlets that produce original public interest journalism for a local audience, whether that be covering the local council, court or issues that matter to the community like schools and health.
You can let us know about an outlet near you by using this short form. The first stage of this project, a web visualisation of local news production built on this data, will launch at the end of November. Future stages of the research will include national outlets, broadcast outlets and further functionality and data access.
Meanwhile, ANMP’s September’s report showed a period of net contraction, with 10 recorded decreases in services, plus one closure and one new masthead.
In mid-September Australian Community Media (ACM) said the publication frequency of some newspapers would drop, citing the ongoing financial impact of COVID-19 and lockdowns. While the number of newspapers affected is not publicly available, PIJI has identified at least nine titles. Separately, The Latrobe Valley Express (Morwell, Vic) has also reduced its printing schedule.
The September report also provides a comprehensive overview of the quarterly results and comparison to previous quarters.
Click here to read the full report.
PIJI Research In Focus
Chief Executive Anna Draffin has highlighted PIJI’s recent research that shows the potential to grow
philanthropic support for the not-for-profit journalism sector.
Speaking at an event hosted by The Walkley Foundation and PS Media on September 15 entitled “Why philanthropy is backing local journalism”, one of the issues raised was the difficulties news media faced in articulating its value and engaging with funders was not unique to the media industry.
Click here to read the full article about this event and the issues raised.
The PIJI board extends its sincere thanks to Karen Mahlab AM, a founding director who stepped down from the board at the 2021 AGM.
Known as a trailblazer in both the philanthropic and journalism sectors, Karen’s valuable input has been an integral part of PIJI’s success to date.
Karen, the founder and CEO of Pro Bono Australia, was part of the founding circle of supporters responsible for PIJI’s conception and establishment and we look forward to the development of her next venture, PS Media.
Recent Media Coverage
Australia
- Foxtel launches news subscription offering Flash. AFR, October 14
- Tech giants beef up controls as misinformation fury sparks calls for tougher regulation. The Age, October 11
- Australia urges US to follow its lead in regulating social media giants. The Age, October 9
- Guardian freelance pay stoush. The Australian, October 9
- CNN disables Facebook pages in Australia after Voller decision. The Age, September 29
- Opinion: High court ruling in Voller defamation case puts media companies firmly in firing line. The Guardian, September 8
International
- USA
PW exclusive: Journalism historian discusses role of American newspapers in abetting white supremacy. Policy Watch, October 12 - United Kingdom
Nobel Peace Prize: Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov share award. BBC, October 6 - New Zealand
110 Journalist Roles Funded To Provide Public Interest Journalism Across The Motu. Scoop.co.nz, September 24
News
A monthly selection of new research from academic and industry groups, relevant to the future of public interest journalism.
- Analysing innovation in Indigenous news: Deaths Inside , David Nolan & Lisa Waller, Journalism Studies
- Reclaiming the public square in times of post-truth and platformisation: a crucial mission for public service media
Leen d’Haenens, European Journal of Communication - How do public service media innovate? An analysis of product development by European PSM
Annika Sehl & Alessio Cornia, Journalism Studies - The methodological challenges of studying “fake news” , Ahmed Al-Rawi & Abdelrahman Fakida, Journalism Practice
- Deplatformization and the governance of the platform ecosystem
Jose Van Dijck, Tim de Winkel & Mirko Tobias Schafer, New Media & Society