Today the Public Interest Journalism Initiative is launching the first stage of our Australian Newsroom Mapping Project: Full Picture, Australia’s first comprehensive database of public interest journalism production.

This national data, which has never before been collated or made publicly available, will give the community, policy professionals and lawmakers the ability to see where the concentration of Australian news production and where news deserts may be emerging or in some cases already exist.

This phase of Full Picture contains over 800 local news producers in the print and online space, verified from over 2,000 tips received as part of an extensive crowdsourcing campaign. 

“The data we have collected so far indicates that there is a concentration of news outlets in regional cities, supported by hyperlocal community newspapers in surrounding towns,” explains PIJI CEO Anna Draffin. “There is a low density of outlets in remote areas, including low density of hyperlocal community papers.”

But now PIJI needs the public’s help! 

We are asking all Australians to help us in the development of this crucial repository of information, by logging on to the database and checking that their local news sources are accurately reflected and that no  information is missing.

“This is data that’s essential to the formation of policy and initiatives to support the sustainability and growth of public interest journalism,” explains Draffin. “Without a healthy news sector, Australia cannot have a healthy, working democracy. The community and lawmakers must have visibility around gaps in new production and areas where local government and other civic infrastructure is not being monitored, reported on and held to account.”

You view Full Picture and send us a tip or correction, click here: https://localnews.piji.com.au/. To send us a tip or a correction, click on the “contribute” button on the page by January 31.

The next phase of the Full Picture project will be released in February and include updated local news data plus the addition of national news producers. Later stage additions will  include broadcast news production, including both TV and radio (June), media ownership (late 2022) and the integration and overlay of our news contractions and expansions data (which you can view here: https://anmp.piji.com.au/).

Thank you to our Full Picture project partners, Jibb Foundation, Susan McKinnon Foundation, Ruffin Falkiner Foundation and Mannifera.

Also, please note that early next year, PIJI will release a Federal election position paper.