The News Media Assistance Program (News MAP) is a program of work that aims to establish a robust evidence base and clear principles to guide policies that support public interest journalism and safeguard media diversity.
The News MAP will guide decisions around when government intervention is warranted, how it should be applied, and where it should be targeted.
News MAP consists of 2 parts:
- a principles-based policy framework to guide future government interventions for news and journalism across 4 key outcomes: access, diversity, quality and engagement
- an evidence base that will inform when and where interventions are warranted, as well as their design, implementation and evaluation.
What has been done so far?
The Australian Government has provided $4 million for initiatives that help build an evidence base on the state of the news sector.
As of October 2023, funding has been allocated to the following initiatives:
- $900,000 for the Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI) to maintain and enhance its Australian News Data Project in 2023.
- $1.5 million for the Local and Independent News Association (LINA) to support its efforts to build the capacity of small, hyperlocal news businesses; provide advisory services to businesses; and collect data on the state of local and hyperlocal news.
How can you contribute?
Public consultation for News MAP will be open from 12 December 2023 to 22 February 2024. All interested stakeholders across news media, digital platforms, academia and the wider community are encouraged to make a submission.
Please visit the News MAP Have Your Say page for more information and to make a submission.
There will be a number of additional opportunities to contribute to the development of the News MAP in the future.