April 2nd, 2023Report finds papers playing essential role

COUNTRY Press Australia president Andrew Manuel says the Media Innovation and the Civic Future of Australia’s Country Press report, released late last month, highlights the essential role local papers play in serving their communities and delivering civic journalism.
The report has been a three-year Australian Research Council project, led by
Deakin University, in partnership with Country Press Australia and RMIT University.
“This is arguably the most comprehensive study of our industry ever undertaken
and the report stands as a beacon for government, for policy makers and for the
community to take the appropriate and necessary actions to ensure newspapers can
continue to play such a vital role,” Mr Manuel said.

“The study was done across the most tumultuous time the media industry has
experienced, and local papers remain such an integral cog in regional and rural
Australia, despite the hardships we’ve all endured.
“The report defines regional and rural papers as essential services to the
community, and better support from government, and a better understanding from
government around this, is an important next step.”
Mr Manuel said people living in country areas remained passionate and engaged with their local mastheads.
Report finds papers playing essential roleThe report reiterates a parliamentary inquiry recommendation for 20 per cent of all federal government advertising expenditure to be allocated to regional and rural
news organisations and highlights the need for a better understanding of the role
regional and rural newspapers play as well as the need to provide more support.
The study included a survey into attitudes towards local papers and the
respondents’ likes and dislikes, as well as interviews and interpretive focus groups with
news editors, proprietors and key staff within the Country Press Australia network of
more than 200 mastheads, including The Local’s editor Donna Kelly, across Australia.
Lead investigator Professor Kristy Hess said as a research team “we have been
reminded of just how important local news is – especially in rural and regional areas –
for democratic, social, economic, historic, cultural, symbolic and emotional reasons”.
“If people see themselves as being ‘local’ or connected to somewhere, chances are
they have reached for (or searched online for) the local masthead to maintain that
sense of place. That said, if people reach out for the local paper and it just doesn’t ‘feel
local’, then the connection is lost. Game over.”

Report: www.localnewsinnovation.org/
Words: Donna Kelly