This month, I stepped up as president of Country Press Australia, ostensibly to represent the best interests of independent regional newspaper publishers. But the responsibility is far greater than that.

The future of regional news publishing is inextricably linked to whether regional communities will continue to have a say in shaping the future of regional Australia.

In fact, regional newspapers are the metaphorical canary in the coal mine — their health signals the health of the voice of the communities they serve.

And both are under threat.

The toxic combination of ever-expanding corporations and surging city populations dominating our politics is reducing regional communities to branch office status, with their futures determined by powerful elites in our CBDs.

With every small business that’s bought out and “rolled up” into a corporate machine — or shut down to make way for a big-box competitor — a local business owner is replaced by a corporate manager. The profits are siphoned off in the first electronic transfer back to the city, and a small part of the soul of our communities dies.

As our capital cities grow, the weight of our democracy and decision-making drifts further away from the regions — away from where much of our nation’s wealth is generated, by the way.

Even local government is losing its voice.

Many locally elected councillors now fear speaking out on behalf of their communities, worried they’ll be reported by bureaucratic staff to increasingly powerful, city-based governance bodies. When this happens, our democracy is weakened.

Regional news publishers are among the last lines of defence against these forces.

At our best, we rally and amplify the collective voice of our communities. We stand up to power and fight for a fair go.

There’s a saying that the squeaky wheel gets the grease — but in regional Australia, it’s mostly the silent, hardworking wheels that keep the whole country moving.

That’s why regional newspapers promote local communities and give those doing the heavy lifting a voice.

We unapologetically champion independent regional businesses — the ones who make, grow and fix things. The ones who only sell what they believe in and are proud of.

We’re also here for the bush cops and single-teacher schools, the nurses and doctors who are always on duty, and the junior sports coaches who drive the bus three hours each way so kids can get a game on the weekend.

We’re up for the fight. But it’s getting harder.

A decade ago, regional newspapers were thriving. Classifieds, display ads, and community notices funded large local newsrooms filled with trained journalists.

But the landscape has changed.

When news went online — and we’re online too — global tech giants such as Facebook quickly came to dominate the advertising market, using their monopolistic power to take an overwhelming share of digital ad revenue.

Yet these platforms don’t produce news.

They don’t employ journalists.

And they certainly don’t hire anyone in regional communities where they glean enormous profits from the attention of local people while contributing nothing back to local newsrooms or communities.

In fact, they profit from our content, created by local journalists, without paying fairly for it — undermining the very business model that sustains local news.

And big box retail corporations making huge profits from our regional communities are now choosing to advertise with these global tech giants, not with local publishers.

Like frogs in warming water, too many Australians are unaware of the growing danger of letting corporatism control our communities — and the new media platforms and AI systems that (mis)inform them.

My top priority as president of CPA is to fight for the publishers who, in turn, are fighting for their communities.

We’ll be wearing out the boot leather lobbying governments to protect our people from exploitation by tech platforms that profit from harmful content and put our children and democracy at risk.

We’ll push back against bureaucracy that strips power from local leaders.

We’ll shine a light on the creeping reach of corporatism.

We’re proud to take on these battles.

All we ask in return is that you keep buying your local paper — or subscribe online — and support the local businesses that advertise with us.

Benalla Ensign Google News Panels

Saturday, 29th July 2023

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