<
https://theconversation.com/regional-journalism-is-dying-advertising-subsidies-wont-help-181255>
"Australia’s regional news outlets are dying a not-so-slow death, and COVID-19
has accelerated their decline.
Over the past two years more than a hundred of the 435 regional and community
newspapers that existed in 2019 ceased printing, continuing as digital-only
publications or being merged with other mastheads.
More seem set to follow if a federal parliamentary inquiry into regional
journalism is anything to go by.
The inquiry, chaired by National Party backbencher Anne Webster, was
established in late 2020 to investigate the impact of dozens of local print
editions being suspended in 2020, and if there has been any recovery since.
Its findings, published last month, aren’t optimistic. While some suspended
print runs have resumed, global supply shortages have increased printing costs.
Meanhwile the internet continues to strip away readers and advertising dollars.
The committee’s recommendations on what to do about it leave even less room for
optimism. They show the federal government is ill-equipped to provide
meaningful assistance despite committing tens of millions of dollars to support
regional journalism."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
