Editor's note
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Rarely has the media come under such scrutiny as it has in recent times. The seemingly endless contraction of the ‘heritage’ media, the boom in online news, and the fervent – often misapplied – use of the term ‘fake news’ have all shone a spotlight on how, and who, disseminates information and instigates public debate.
Such is the concern in Australia that a Senate select committee is holding an inquiry into the future of public interest journalism. It is tackling some difficult issues, and we have done the same in our series. What is public interest journalism and who should pay for it? How should/can government support it?
In this nine-part series, some of our best media academics tackle these questions and many others, looking at how we can save public interest journalism, and why it’s vital for our democracy that we do so.
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The Australian media’s lack of diversity puts significant strain on our democracy.
www.allworldnewspapers.com
Denis Muller, University of Melbourne
News Corp on the right, Fairfax on the left. This division has a long history in Australia, to the detriment of quality journalism and public debate.
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What does public interest journalism really mean?
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Public interest reporting is often equated with watchdog or investigative reporting. But it can include other factual stories that serve the public interest.
Shutterstock
Andrea Carson, University of Melbourne
Public interest journalism exposes corruption and wrongdoers, and holds the powerful to account. But it is increasingly under threat, and we need to find ways to protect it.
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Donald Trump might not spend much time on social media, but he has an acute understanding of how virality in media works.
Reuters/Shannon Stapleton
Emily Bell, Columbia University
There are four key things Donald Trump’s election tells us about the state of journalism today.
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Research has shown kids can be duped by native advertising.
Syda Productions/Shutterstock
Joanne Orlando, Western Sydney University
We must have open conversations with kids so they're able to identify reliable news online.
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Free speech exists in war zones, even if there is a need to take into account the sensitivities of military operations.
Reuters/Danish Siddiqui
Simon Levett, Western Sydney University
The special protection offered via international law is not enough to keep journalists reporting on conflict zones and assuage concerns about free speech.
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How can it be supported?
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Non-profit status enables media organisations in the US to avoid federal and some state taxes and donations to them can be tax deductible.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Bill Birnbauer, Monash University
Tax deductibility for donations to non-profit journalism centres in the United States have invigorated quality journalism. This same model could help Australian journalism.
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The government should restore funding to public broadcasters SBS and ABC enabling them to produce more public interest journalism.
www.mediaday.com.au
Johan Lidberg, Monash University
There are plenty of models around the globe where governments are supporting public interest journalism at arm's length.
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Publicly funded grants could help journalists break and cover important stories.
Shutterstock
Andrew Dodd, Swinburne University of Technology
A government fund to support quality journalism – while remaining strictly independent – could help produce stories in the public interest.
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Interviewing scientists - shown here is physicist Louise Harra - is a skill that takes experience and in depth knowledge on the part of the journalist.
uclmaps/flickr
Joan Leach, Australian National University
The number of specialist science journalists in Australia has dropped from around 35 to less than five over the period 2005-2017.
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Featured jobs
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UNSW Sydney — Kensington, New South Wales
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University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria
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University of Technology Sydney — Sydney, New South Wales
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Deakin University — Burwood, Victoria
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Featured events
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Hilton Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland, 4000, Australia — Queensland University of Technology
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Level 14 Australia Square, 264 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia — Women's Plans Foundation
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15 Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney
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James Cook University, Townsville campus, Townsville, Queensland, 4817, Australia — James Cook University
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