The Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI) welcomes this morning’s announcement from the Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP that the Federal Government will release $5 million from its Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund to support journalism during COVID-19.
However much more action is needed to assist the sector should it survive the economic shock of the worldwide pandemic.
PIJI has repeatedly called for the government to assist news organisations in staying afloat as the final sources of advertising revenue pull their spending, so today’s announcement is a positive first step in this process.
News organisations themselves are reporting this evaporation of income. Early indicators of the pain being felt across the industry include News Corp halting printing on 60 local products and applying staffing reductions, a number of regional newspapers suspending production indefinitely and both Seven and Nine revising profit guidance.
More information will be released in coming days about how the newly-announced government funding release will work and how news organisations can apply. A statement from Minister Fletcher’s office stated that the fund has been enhanced, with more organisations eligible and a greater emphasis on sustainability and this round will be open to regional and metropolitan publishers and content service providers producing public interest journalism.
PIJI reiterates that it stands ready to work with the Federal Government on other of initiatives including:
- Increasing public-service advertising in local news media over the next three months by at least $100 million
- Making local news subscriptions tax deductible as a temporary supportive measure during the pandemic crisis
- Granting temporary relief on license fees to broadcast media and ease content obligations
- Earmarking further funding to assist a national newswire to provide public interest reporting
“The media industry was already under huge pressure before COVID-19, as revenue dissipated in the move online,” explains PIJI Chair Professor Allan Fels AO.
“But with this severe and sharp financial downturn as the economy comes to a standstill, publishers and broadcasters have watched remaining revenue dry up, seemingly overnight.
“Public interest journalism is essential infrastructure for any democracy, let alone when facing a health crisis of this magnitude.
“The government increasing public sector advertising among news media to support the communication of current health and isolation advice, would provide a much-needed injection of revenue to struggling local operations, replacing a proportion of integral lost advertising revenue.
“We are ready to work with government; all of these calls to action are achievable in a rapid time-frame.”
The $48 million Innovation Fund was set up in 2018, as part of the Government’s Regional and Small Publishers Jobs and Innovation Package to boost sustainability and the ongoing production of news .
Last week PIJI unveiled The Australian Newsroom Mapping Project, a long-term, cumulative research project. It was launched with data starting from 1 January 2019.
Anyone – general public or industry – may submit information such as newsroom closures, suspension of print operations or job losses, by email to newsmap@piji.com.au