Australia’s Public Interest Journalism Initiative will be the centre for consultation over the government’s News Media Assistance Programme.

The government has asked for feedback on how to best support public interest journalism, with industry stakeholders now able to provide input into the development of a policy framework under the News MAP.

PIJI will hold a series of consultations across next month to help inform its submission, with consultation due to close on February 22.

PIJI has invited interested parties to email them at info@piji.com.au

Socio-economic factors impacting local print and digital news are identified in research PIJI commissioned from Monash Business School’s Soda Laboratories, with results unveiled at its Future Focus roundtable in December 2023.

The report, ‘The Socio-economic Determinants of Public Interest Journalism in Australia’, included studies across 540 local government areas. It found that the size of the local market, in terms of readership and consumer base, is critical for news publishers. “Similarly, there seems to be a correlation between the presence of large companies in mining and manufacturing, and a robust local news market,” it says.

The report can be viewed on the PIJI website.