By Mikayla van Loon
Revelations that a digital news publication might have affiliate links with Climate 200 has brought about a reminder of the necessity of truly independent news particularly in regional areas.
Country Press Australia, the largest association of independent newspapers, president Andrew Schreyer has echoed calls from politicians for the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to conduct a swift but thorough investigation into Gazette News.
The publisher was this week the subject of an AEC complaint first lodged by Coalition party members, led by Victorian Senator Jane Hume, after two key funders of the social enterprise news outlet were identified as having also donated to the Climate 200 independent candidate movement.
Mr Schreyer said the ease in which news websites could be established posed a risk to the integrity of journalism.
“It’s all too easy now to set up a ‘news’ website that publishes political propaganda dressed up as journalism and amplified through social media campaigns,” he said.
“Such sites are a threat to the integrity of our political advertising regulations and to the public trust in truly independent news publishers who are reporting objectively and holding the powerful to account.”
Gazette News’ philosophy on its website states it is “stepping in where local news has diminished or hasn’t made the leap to digital”.
Mr Schreyer said to the more than 240-strong membership publications within the CPA, the claim that local news had declined or disappeared was misleading and wrong.
Concerns were also raised through the membership that the level of trust readers had for local papers was being compromised following the recent emergence of a number of online publications produced by Gazette News in areas where existing publications had built trust.
These include Star News Group’s Pakenham Gazette and Star Mail, with The Gippsland Monitor and The Eastern Melburnian setting up a digital presence in these regions.
“Most of our Country Press Australia member newspapers have news websites and a history dating back well over 100 years. In addition, many local radio and television services across rural and regional Australia have a proud history of supporting and serving local communities,” Mr Schreyer said.
“Independently owned place based public interest journalism providers such as our member newspapers work hard to earn the respect and trust of the communities they serve.”
Nationals Leader David Littleproud has been outspoken and critical of what he has said is just “the Teal movement creating their own newspaper” as a way to “propagate and to promote” their agenda.
“I’ve got no problems, they’ve got every right to be able to do this. We’ve got a free society, free speech. But you should be upfront and you should declare it,” Mr Littleproud said in an interview with 2CC host Stephen Cenatiempo.
“You shouldn’t mask it by saying this is an independent paper. It actually tears away at what our journalistic integrity in this country should be.”
Both Gazette News and Climate 200 have denied the alignment, and therefore, any external influence in publication’s content.
But Mr Littleproud said for regional news outlets who “are on their knees”, this undermines their role and their ability to stay afloat.
“There are still papers going. And I can tell you the papers that have contacted my office about this, they’re really concerned. They’re fighting (for) revenue as it is at the moment. They’re struggling to keep their journalists on,” he said.
“They are a source of truth we should trust and we should protect the Fourth Estate even though it mightn’t be convenient for politicians from time to time. But it is an important part of our democratic process.
“And if we don’t have an independent process on that and protecting that by political parties, using their millions to come in and to muscle them out, then we’re going to be a poorer society and a poorer democracy for it. So I’m just saying to the Teal movement, you lectured us before the last election about integrity, but just understand you are coming to regional areas.
“You are destroying journalism for your own political gain without declaring it. You’ve got every right to run a paper but declare it as a political movement rather than masking it.”
Mr Schreyer thanked Mr Littleproud for his strong representation and advocacy of local, rural and regional newspapers.
As members of the Australian Press Council, Mr Schreyer said CPA publications are required to abide by a code of ethics that stresses the importance of fairness and balance in their reporting, and for journalists to not be influenced by outside influences or organisations.
“The revelation that Gazette News online publications are funded by top teal donors damages the reputation of independent regional, rural and local mastheads,” he said.
“Consumers of content produced by Gazette News publications need to be made aware of their funding sources and view their content through that lens.
“Balanced, independent and professionally produced public interest journalism such as that produced by our members is the democratic infrastructure that holds communities together.”
Mr Schreyer is also the general manager of the Warragul and Drouin Gazette.
The AEC investigation and review will decide if funding should have been disclosed.
