Australian Associated Press (AAP) has been the backbone of Australia’s news reporting for the past 85 years, supporting our country’s newsrooms with essential fact-gathering and event coverage.  Its closure as announced by management to staff today will only contribute further to the erosion of public interest reporting nationally and the functioning of our democracy.

“When we spoke to Australian news editors last year, it came through loudly from the rural and regional editors that AAP wire copy is essential for connecting their communities to news from around the state and country,” said Professor Allan Fels, Chair of the Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI).

“This is especially true in court reporting, where criminal and major civil cases of intense local interest are tried in the capitals, often geographically and financially beyond the capacity of a small newsroom.

“The timing of the announcement today is particularly distressing given the two major events of public concern – bushfires and coronavirus – both highlight the need for relevant localised, community reporting.

“Public interest journalism is essential to our democratic system and AAP is an integral part of that.

“We urge government and industry to act to ensure the future of the reporting of AAP and its dedicated staff. Our thoughts are with all of its staff today.”

PIJI also renews its call for government to consider potential tax rebates that could inject up to $380 million into public interest journalism, as examined in research released by the initiative in November last year.

PIJI research shows that 68 per cent of metropolitan suburbs and 45 per cent of regional areas have already experienced a very sharp decline in journalism.