Public Interest Journalism Initiative

Australia has made significant progress in its fight to wrest some revenue back for news from social media platforms and search engines, but experts caution against rushing similar efforts for generative AI. The News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) cleared parliament last month, paving the way for Australian news publishers to resume receiving compensation for their content from tech giants such as Meta and Google.

The US government huffed and puffed over the News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) during its design phase. Now the legislation has passed into law, experts say retaliation is almost certain – but Australia would be able to withstand the blow. The NBI is regarded by the Australian news media as a potential lifeline.

As American tech titans grow bolder and more open in their influence on politics, Gil Duran has been diligently working to sound the alarm. He doesn’t pretend, or aim, to be neutral. “A journalist can’t be neutral in the face of fascism because that journalist becomes a fascist journalist,” he tells PIJI. “You have to be on the side of journalism mattering. You have to be on the side of democracy being important.

The final form of the News Bargaining Incentive has been revealed, but key changes – and lack thereof – to the legislation left some in the news industry disappointed. When announcing the updates to the News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) legislation this week, Minister for Communications Anika Wells said the laws would support a diverse media for the benefit of all Australians. “Platforms should do deals directly with news organisations, and if they do not, they will pay,” she said.

For journalists, the scales weighing the pros and cons of generative AI seem to tip back and forth. Lately, it could be easy to feel the cons are weightier. Recent layoffs have been accompanied by increased uptake of AI, and last month Nine Entertainment pointed to “an extreme state of disruption because of AI” when announcing its latest round of newsroom job cuts.

The government’s latest changes to the News Bargaining Incentive represent a welcome acknowledgement that Australia’s news ecosystem extends far beyond the major metropolitan media organisations. For many years, independent publishers, regional news services and community-based outlets have argued that any sustainable media policy must recognise the essential contribution made by smaller publishers and volunteer-driven journalism.

In her first appearance before the National Press Club, the Communications Minister focused on the government’s efforts to improve online safety. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland appeared before the National Press Club this week to speak about online safety and the government’s program of communications reforms.

The July Australian News Data Report is now available to read. PIJI’s latest data report reveals further closures within Australia’s news landscape. As of 31 July 2023, there were 1210 print, digital, radio and television news outlets listed on the Australian News Index, across community, local, state/territory and national coverage areas. Over the month two outlets were reported as being closed: the Hawkesbury Gazette in New South Wales, and *PS Port Phillip.

Our final report for 2023 reveals the state of play for public interest journalism for the last quarter of the year. The latest edition of the Australian News Data Report is a revealing portrait of an industry still reeling from the turmoil of the COVID emergency years and ongoing digital disruption. The December 2023 report, which also includes the latest quarterly data, logged 171 sector expansions and 327 contractions since 1 January 2019.

Our latest news sample finds generally low levels of public interest journalism at a well-covered metropolitan location. One new publication was added to the Australian News Index in November and one outlet was removed from the database, according to the latest release of the Australian News Data Report. The new publication, the Mt Gambier Times, was added to the database after a rebrand.