Title page
Contents
Chair's Foreword 5
Members 8
Terms of Reference 10
Abbreviations 11
List of Recommendations 13
1. Introduction 16
Background 16
About the inquiry 19
Inquiry conduct 20
Report structure 20
2. The State of Regional Newspapers 21
Defining regional news 21
Accessing news in regional areas 23
The role of large publishers in regional newspapers 28
The decline of print newspapers in regional areas 31
The emergence of hyper-local news providers 37
Evolution of media ownership in regional areas 39
Partnerships 43
Tracking and mapping access to regional news 44
US Emerging News Deserts project 48
Committee comment 53
3. Funding Regional Newspapers 58
Revenue sources for regional newspapers 58
Advertising 59
Cover sales and online subscriptions 61
Impact of COVID-19 on regional newspaper revenue 63
Government support to regional newspapers 66
Federal and state government advertising 67
Funding grants 69
Other programs to support regional newspapers 75
The role of philanthropy in regional newspapers 75
Deductible gift recipient (DGR) status 76
Future funding models to support regional news 78
Committee comment 82
4. Development and Impact of the News Media Bargaining Code 86
Digital platforms and regional newspapers 86
Establishment of the News Media Bargaining Code 89
Impact of the News Media Bargaining Code 92
Initiatives introduced by digital platforms 92
Benefits to larger newspapers with a regional news presence 96
The experience of smaller news services 98
Developments in digital platforms and news media bargaining 103
Committee comment 105
Appendix 108
A. Submissions 108
B. Public hearings and witnesses 111
C. Survey summary 115
Table 3.1. Top 10 PING grant recipients 73
Figure 2.1. Local newspaper readers by age 33
Figure 2.2. Inquiry survey results: What is more of a priority for you when consuming news? 47
Boxes
Box 2.1. Case Study: Torres Strait Islanders Media Association's 4MW gifted to Torres News 40
Box 2.2. News, disinformation and misinformation 50