The Victorian Government has announced emergency support to help regional print media survive and ensure all Victorians have the information they need to protect themselves, slow the spread of coronavirus and save lives.
In a statement released Tuesday 21 April, Premier Daniel Andrews spoke of the pivotal role of newspapers in regional and rural communities, made more important during the current health crisis.
“We’re giving regional papers the certainty and support they need to keep writing, keep printing and keep employing Victorians,” Premier Andrews said.
“We need to get the message out to every corner of the state – stay home, protect the health system and save lives. This investment will help us do that.
“Coronavirus does not discriminate – so it’s vital every Victorian knows what to do to protect themselves and their loved ones, wherever they live.”
The government has acknowledged that many regional papers were already struggling due to the effects of drought and bushfires on local businesses and advertising. The added and significant impact of coronavirus on the economy has forced some regional mastheads to shut their doors, while others are on the brink.
To help these local papers survive, the government will book one page of print advertising and digital advertising in more than 100 regional outlets each week for six months.
The immediate and reliable source of income will help these businesses – which are the public record of towns and regions throughout Victoria – get through the worst of the crisis and rebuild.
The $4.7 million package has been developed in consultation with the Victorian Country Press Association.
The advertising boost will also help the government get the message out to Victorians that we all have a role to play in slowing the spread of the virus by staying home, protecting our health system and saving lives.
At the national level, the Federal Government recently announced a $50 million support package aimed at regional journalism. covering television, radio and print media fields.
But there are concerns the support won’t get to where it’s most needed, to smaller independent and regional media groups, which are often the only local news outlets for their communities.
While the nation’s peak press body, Country Press Australia, has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement of a $50 million Public Interest News Gathering program last week, it was concerned about the expanded criteria and the likely loss of the original intent of the funds.
Much of this amount had already been allocated as part of the Regional and Small Publishers Fund but held in limbo until now.
“Country Press Australia and the 140 independent news media titles it represents, will wait until the funding guidelines are formulated, before assessing what impact this will have in helping to sustain public interest journalism by regional and small publishers in the current crisis”, president Bruce Ellen said.
“We are extremely concerned that the original intent of the Regional and Small Publishers Fund when it was first announced in 2017, may be lost and/or significantly diminished.”
Country Press Australia strongly urged the Federal Government to maintain key elements of the original criteria.
“These key criteria include a maximum turnover threshold ($30 million), a set percentage to regional news media companies (75 per cent), and the production of public interest journalism as a primary purpose eligibility requirement,” Mr Ellen said.
“These funds were specifically allocated to small and small regional publishers of public interest journalism as a result of the impact of the media reform legislation in September 2017 giving significant benefits to the large media companies such as Nine, Seven West Media and News Corp.”
“It would be far from appropriate if these companies now also benefit from these particular funds to the detriment of the small independent media publishers across Australia,” he said.
