Journal article published

"Everyone keeps telling us it's going to die."

My colleague Kristy Hess and I chose this quote to lead our journal article that examines some of the 'myths' that are clouding local newspaper futures in Australia. The article was published in Q1 journal Media International Australia in February.

Digital adaptation is often considered the panacea to the local journalism crisis in Australia. As a result, this digital first agenda has perpetuated ‘death and doom’ narratives about some traditional strategies and practices, especially in regards to the future of printed local newspapers.

Our paper draws on interviews and focus groups with local news owners, journalists, editors, advertising staff and managers who work for small independently owned titles in rural and regional Australia to suggest there are three key myths which are deeply interwoven and impact perceptions of local news media realities:

• Print is dead

• The traditional advertising model has collapsed

• There are no jobs in journalism

We suggest these myths can cloud discussions around the targeted and systemic solutions needed to secure local news futures.

You can access the article here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1329878X241230380