Media Grants During COVID

This information is based on the regionally focused Public Interest News Gathering (PING) program, which was a $50 million program for regional news outlets in Australia in 2020.

Was there a tie to say certain things?

Keep an eye out for the phrase "public interest journalism".

The Thursday 07 May 2020 Media Release for the PING program at the link below "Organisations that satisfy the criteria – producing Australian public interest journalism with a commitment to accuracy, accessibility and broad relevance – will be eligible."

https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/fletcher/media-release/public-interest-news-gathering-program-opens-business

The Program's Grant Opportunity Guidelines, state that "The payment instalments reflect the immediate financial support required by broadcasters and publishers to maintain the provision of public interest journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic."

The first instalment was for 90% of the total grant value.

The condition of eligibility with respect to these criteria creates a financial incentive to report the news in a certain manner.

This removes the ability of participating organisations to be independent and conduct investigative journalism.

The original interview with Barbara Jane Murray is here: https://youtu.be/uC1-jpqDryo