Melbourne: The Australian government on Friday announced a grant of 5 million Australian dollars (USD 3.7 million) to its ailing national news agency to sustain through the COVID-19 pandemic, acknowledging that its existence was vital for regional journalism and media diversity.
The Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher said that Australian Associated Press (AAP) is critical to media diversity and has consistently demonstrated its commitment to accurate, fact-based and independent journalism over its 85-year history, including a strong contribution to regional news.
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered unprecedented challenges for Australia’s regional media sector, with severe declines in advertising revenue threatening the sustainability of many news outlets, Fletcher said.
Public interest journalism is important now, more than ever. This $(AUS) 5 million in funding will allow AAP to continue delivering its important news service for communities Australia-wide,” he said.
The minister said the AAP Newswire provides services to more than 250 regional news mastheads across Australia, covering public interest content on national, state and regional news. This allows regional mastheads to concentrate on local news stories important for their communities.
Importantly, AAP also provides regional stories for national distribution so that regional issues and voices are heard across the country, he added.
Fletcher said that the grant will also provide the Newswire more opportunities to secure additional private investment to support its long-term sustainability.
On June 29, Fletcher had announced that 107 regional broadcasters and publishers would receive funding under the 50 million Australian dollars (USD 36.5 million) PING (Public Interest News Gathering) Programme.
The PING Programme is designed to support media organisations to maintain or increase their production and distribution of public interest journalism in regional communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Almost all grant agreements have been executed and 93 successful grantees have received their first payment under the programme.
The additional 5 million Australian dollars for AAP increases the government’s investment in PING to 55 million Australian dollars (USD 40.1 million).
The government will prepare guidelines and enter into a funding agreement with AAP in accordance with the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines 2017.-PTI
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