PIJI has made a written submission to the Australian parliament’s Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society, focusing primarily on two of the Committee’s Terms of Reference:

• the important role of Australian journalism, news and public interest media in countering mis and disinformation on digital platforms; and
•  the decision of Meta to abandon deals under the News Media Bargaining Code.

PIJI’s submission emphasised many ways in which public interest journalism plays a role in combatting misinformation and disinformation online, while underscoring the undeniable reality that public interest journalism is in crisis, with news producers around the country experiencing widespread closures and contractions in the face of declining advertising revenue and increased market volatility.

Recognising that there are no silver bullets to address this crisis, we encouraged the Committee to consider a diverse range of market mechanisms to support public interest journalism in the short and long term.  As a uniquely independent voice in this conversation, PIJI is committed to convening and engaging all stakeholders – news peaks, their members, academia, digital platforms and civil society, here and internationally – and to act as an evidence-based lightning rod for collaborative efforts to help Government identify new business models.

Collectively, we need to future proof public interest journalism now: to strengthen the unique qualities that set it apart from other types of information, to ensure its viability, diversity and accessibility as an antidote to mis and disinformation, and to build trust and resilience in the Australian community.

You can read PIJI’s full written submission here.