The North West Queensland region identified for this sample comprises nine local government areas (Burke, Carpentaria, Cloncurry, Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire, Flinders, McKinlay, Mornington Island, Mount Isa and Richmond). The largest population centre in the region Is Mount Isa, around 1 ,565km north west of Brisbane.

North West Queensland has a low print and digital news outlet density and a relatively high radio outlet density.

Australian Community Media operates the North West Star, a weekly digital publication based in Mount Isa covering North West Queensland. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is present with two newsrooms in the region sampled: ABC North West Queensland and ABC North Queensland. PIJI has not identified any print and or digital publishers in Carpentaria Shire, Flinders Shire, McKinlay Shire, Mornington Shire and Richmond Shire.

Part of the rationale of sampling the North West Queensland region was to assess the level of coverage of these locations. Commercial radio stations 4GC Charters Towers, 4LM Mt Isa Radio hit102.5 Mount Isa are present, as are Indigenous community radio stations MOB FM and the National Indigenous Radio Service. North west Queensland is part of the Remote Central & Eastern Australia TV2 licence area covered by 10 and Seven, as well as the Remote Central & Eastern Australia TV1 licence area covered by Imparja Television.

Four changes have been observed in North West Queensland region since PIJI began monitoring in 2019. In April 2020, at the outset of COVID-19, Australian Community Media suspended dozens of newspapers around Australia.

The Mount Isa-based North West Star was temporarily closed. It reopened in June 2020 at reduced service. In July 2022, Cape York Weekly owned Matt Nicholls opened a new title in Mount Isa, the North West Weekly. In September 2022 it closed due to staffing constraints.