Over the last 20 years, Australia has seen a surge in anti-protest laws, a refusal to strengthen whistle-blower protections, defamation laws that stifle free speech, and now we have the new national hate speech laws. There is clearly an erosion of democratic principles which is providing a “chilling effect” on activism, journalism, and free expression. Add the decline in media integrity and social media misinformation and the honest truth is hard to find. There is simply no more important time for the facts to be available.

I am a seventh generation Tasmanian and Launceston local. I have taken over management of Tasmanian Times to ensure the legacy that Lindsay Tuffin created in 2002 and Alan Whykes took over in 2019 remains intact.

I met Alan and discussed the future of Tasmanian Times about three years ago. We had another discussion about 18 months ago, but things didn’t quite align strategically back then. This time around they have.

I have been a student of independent media models globally for the last 5 years and am working to bring my understanding of what works in other places to Tasmanian Times. I’m also entrepreneurial so expect a few surprises.

We’re currently working through a full audit of the site and business, solving some legacy technical issues, restructuring the business, funding and staffing model. We are also defining our Statement of Principles based on best practice for online independent media globally. We’ll share the details with the Tasmanian community as each element is complete, but at this time we can share the following decisions. These are the foundations for our future:

  • Tasmanian Times will become a Profit-for-Purpose enterprise under a Pty Ltd company structure.
  • Our Purpose, enshrined in our constitution, is “For the benefit of all Tasmanians”.
  • Our Values are based on giving the three core elements that matter to us all equal weighting:
    •  The Environment that supports us as biological creatures and,
    •  A cohesive Society that we all rely on for our happiness and,
    •  Proper Governance that allows us to function at our best.
  • Our Mission is to build a Tasmanian Community that has a voice.

Our ESG Values are not about being a voice for the left or the right, but about serving the Tasmanian community interest through balanced, fact-based reporting grounded in established journalistic codes of practice.

Rest assured, the next phase of Tasmanian Times is to remain a completely Tasmanian focused and trusted news and journalism platform.

There will be further announcements over the next six months. For now, we are deleting the pop-up ads that impact the user experience.

The news feed will also be slow over the next month, so thanks for your patience while we regroup.

I would also like to thank Alan for his sheer determination to keep Tasmanian Times running and I wish him the best in his retirement.

All Tasmanian Times email contacts remain the same.

 

Rod Holden

Tasmanian Times

 

 

Rod Holden has impressed me with his work ethic, broad business experience and overall positivity to the past and potential future of Tasmanian Times. He’s bitten off a lot to chew, but is the kind of guy who can chew…like crazy.

Lindsay Tuffin, may he rest in peace started TT in 2002 as a kind of collective blog to fill the gaps not being very well covered – or being significantly and intentionally ignored – by other media players on the island. And so it has been.

But technology and the media scene have changed very much since then. Clearly TT has an opportunity to redefine its content, role and delivery in modern terms and taking into account the needs of Tasmanians in 2026 and beyond. I am pleased to present that opportunity to Rod.

I look forward to my retirement and spending more time with my dear wife Monica.

Once again, I thank those contributors who have sent in material since October 2019. Your passion, eloquence, desire for truth and sheer forthrightness has been a wonder and a privilege for me to work with. In terms of what has been achieved by TT, I invite you to share that achievement. For any shortcomings, they are mine alone.

I urge you to provide Rod your support and patience as he builds a resilient TT ready for the next few decades.

 

Alan Whykes

Tasmanian Times