We’re excited to announce the release of News Industries: Funding Innovations and Futures, our report on the ICA postconference event held on the Gold Coast (Australia) in June.
The day had a wide range of industry, government and academic attendees (from Australia and overseas) who shared their insights on the future of news with one common issue: how can we fund quality news and public interest journalism in an age of digital disruption?
In the report you’ll find summaries of the keynotes and panels, and commentary pieces on the day by experts in the field. The lightning presenters have also provided summaries of their talks with their insights into news subsidies and sustainable media strategies.
For those of you who were there on the day, the keynotes, panellists, presenters and the audience, we thank you for your insights. We used discussion points, questions and conversations to develop key outcomes and recommendations in three areas: Government, Industry and Academia.
Here is a summary of the key recommendations:
- The Federal Government needs to act quickly to collaborate with industry to develop and implement long term financial solutions.
- Government should prioritise indirect subsidies in the forms of tax relief, wages, training and infrastructure support.
- Government needs to pay special attention to supporting local news, public interest journalism, and news for diverse audiences, and ensure the provision of these specialised news to all Australians.
- The Federal Government should revisit the News Media Bargaining Code to either update it to accommodate the rapidly changing ecosystem and designate those platforms under the code or walk away from it and develop a new more sustainable option.
- The Federal Government should consider introducing a levy on digital advertising and use the funds to support local news, public interest journalism and news for diverse audiences.
- Policy makers, traditional and alternative news providers, and academics should work together to redefine news. This will ensure consistency in distributing any funding to news outlets.
Or download a copy here:
Park, S., Fisher, C., Fulton, J. & Picard, R. (2024). News Industries: Funding Innovations and Futures. Canberra: News and Media Research Centre, University of Canberra. https://apo.org.au/node/328690
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