Local and independent news publishers from across Australia are gathering in Melbourne this week for the third annual LINA Summit.

The three-day event brings together over 150 delegates from across the country, representing news-making organisations and industry leaders and stakeholders. It comes amid turbulent times for the news industry.

While the government’s answer to Meta’s withdrawal from the News Media Bargaining Code was announced in December, consultation on the News Bargaining Incentive recently stalled reportedly due to fears of Trump retaliation tariffs. The upcoming federal election adds further funding uncertainty to the industry already in crisis, as the wait continues for the roll-out of funds announced via the News Media Assistance Program (News MAP) in December.

LINA’s Summit program (and other ongoing projects) will attempt to quell newsroom closures by offering news publishers capacity-building training and workshops across 50 different sessions. Topics covered include building audience relationships, preparing election explainers, ethics in reporting, AI tools, news publishing and big tech in media policy, improving accessibility in news, newsletter strategies and revenue growth ideas.

The conference includes intensive practical workshops on implementing advertising, developing multi-media content and industry development, followed by a welcome event in Footscray this evening.

LINA Executive Director Claire Stuchbery said the Summit, which is co-hosted by local news service The Westsider, is also an opportunity for publishers to connect with one another and share insights.

“LINA has grown from representing 100 newsrooms this time last year, to now over 160. This change reflects promising growth in the industry despite a challenging year,” Claire said.

“Many of the factors which have constrained newsrooms’ capacity and financial sustainability are also ironically exactly the issues that we need quality news organisations to cover and scrutinise—including changes to the social media landscape, AI and big tech, rising misinformation and disinformation and political developments.

“It’s critical that we support both emerging and established newsrooms to continue producing public interest journalism during election periods, during emergency response and recovery and in amplifying the stories that matter to the communities our member publishers serve.”

Beyond fostering industry collaboration, LINA’s annual Summit sets the agenda for the industry association’s work moving forward, with a focus on practical support for newsrooms and building awareness of the contribution journalism makes in communities.

Tasmanian Times On Deck

Tasmanian Times, a LINA member, is attending the event.

We’re looking at lots of good ideas and interesting possibilities for the future. Changes are afoot!

Tasmanian Times is also open to all kinds of partnerships and collaborations with individuals and organisations.

If you have any suggestions about how Tasmanian Times can better serve the needs of the community in Tasmania, or would like to work with us in some way, please leave a comment below or drop a line to [email protected].

We also have a little bit of paid work coming up in branding and marketing. If this might be your thing, please get in touch.

Report Suggests News Media in Trouble

New research by The Australia Institute has found the slow death of newspapers in Australia has led to a plunge in media diversity and local storytelling.

When newspapers began shutting down in big numbers a decade ago, it was hoped that moving online would broaden news diversity and ownership.

TAI says that the opposite has happened, with a new discussion paper reveals that many newspapers have moved online in name only.

It also found:

  • 11 out of Australia’s 20 biggest cities have just one daily or weekly print newspaper.
  • Five of Australia’s eight capital cities have no competition in print news.
  • In 2008, there were just over 500 newspapers in Australia. In the following decade 106 shut.
  • The COVID pandemic has been a mass-extinction event for Australian newspapers, with a further net decline of 184.
  • In 2024, 29 Australian Local Government Areas lacked a single local news outline, either in print or online.

“The vast majority of newspapers which stopped printing and told readers they were moving online have become little more than a social media page and subsection of a capital city newspaper website,” said Stephen Long, Senior Fellow and Contributing Editor at The Australia Institute.

“There are now many towns with no news outlet since the local paper shut down. That’s been a disaster for local journalism and local storytelling.

“Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was one of those who said newspapers moving online would lead to additional news diversity and avenues to competition. In the ten years since, the opposite has happened.

“Those newspapers which remain have fewer staff and smaller budgets.”

Read the full report: Newspaper competition in Australia – Declining competition and increasing concentration in Australia’s newspaper market.