Regional media is vital to ensure residents are informed on what is happening in their local community.
Which is why Riverina MP and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack is urging eligible Riverina and Central West news outlets to apply for a share in the $50 million Public Interest News Gathering (PING) program.
Applications for the PING program, which opened today, will support commercial television, radio and newspaper businesses in regional Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr McCormack said it was important for regional media to continue to deliver the services it provides to our local communities throughout the Riverina and Central West.
“As a former regional editor of a daily newspaper and a journalist for 21 years, I understand the importance of local journalists delivering the news for local people,” Mr McCormack said.
“The PING program will provide some much-needed support to ensure our journalists can continue to deliver the stories our smaller communities need, expect and deserve.”
PING funding can be used for activities which relate to the production and distribution of public interest journalism, such as staff wages, training and technology or website upgrades.
Applications will be considered through a demand-driven grant process. Organisations which satisfy the criteria – producing Australian public interest journalism with a commitment to accuracy, accessibility and broad relevance – will be eligible.
The PING program is one of several relief measures the Government is delivering to support journalism, particularly as media organisations face increased challenges due to COVID-19.
Some $5 million of funding from the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund has been fast-tracked, temporarily suspended content quota obligations for commercial and subscription television, and provided spectrum tax fee relief for 12 months for commercial television and radio broadcasters.
Applications for the PING program will close on 29 May 2020. The guidelines and application process is available on the Government’s central grants website: grants.gov.au.
Regional newspaper publishers who have separately applied for funding under the latest round of the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund, administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, are also free to apply for funding under the PING program.