The Australian Government is delivering on its commitment to bolster public interest journalism with $15 million in urgent funding for regional and community news.
Opening in November, the News Media Relief Program (NMRP) will provide grants to eligible regional, independent suburban, multicultural and First Nations news publishers creating news content.
The news content must be distributed online, but can also be distributed in other formats.
The program will deliver critical support to a sector struggling to survive in the face of changing readership habits, increasing costs and declining advertising revenue.
With local and community news outlets playing a vital role in keeping Australians up to date about the matters and events that impact them - enabling them to make informed decisions and contributing to social cohesion. The program will help to strengthen the health and diversity of our media sector.
Grants will be open to regional or suburban publishers with an annual revenue under $30 million, or which predominantly serve First Nations and multicultural communities, with the primary purpose of publishing core news content.
It will help these news organisations to keep their doors open and audiences informed.
The NMRP forms part of the Government's broader efforts to safeguard Australia's media diversity and promote public interest journalism, through the News Media Assistance Program (News MAP).
Earlier this year, the Government completed consultation on News MAP which will provide a principles-based policy framework, informed by robust evidence, for future interventions to inform next steps on measures to ensure the news sector remains robust and strong, and continues to serve communities across Australia.
Details on this forecast opportunity can be found at: GrantConnect
