General Press Release No. 273 (October 2006)

Launch of print media report:
Australian newspapers are adapting to challenges

"A ground-breaking content analysis revealed that Australian newspapers write shorter news reports, with fewer sources, than comparable American newspapers. 60 per cent of stories analysed were between 100 and 500 words; nearly 20 per cent had fewer than 100 words and were usually based on just one source," said the Chairman of the Australian Press Council, Professor Ken McKinnon, today, in launching the inaugural State of the News Print Media in Australia report.

For metropolitan dailies crime and federal politics are most frequently reported in the first five news pages. In regional newspapers, accidents/emergencies and local politics are the dominant subjects and, in Sunday newspapers, entertainment stories the most frequent. While conflict remains the dominant 'frame' for metropolitan newspapers, the regional press, with its greater emphasis on local issues, is more likely to stress problem-solving.

Professor McKinnon said that the report confirmed that newspaper companies are rapidly adapting to the challenges of the new technology, changing their newsrooms to encompass the Internet and reorganising the roles of journalists.

Overall circulation and readership numbers have been stable for the last two years. Some 54.6 per cent of the 16.4 million people over fifteen read weekday papers, rising to 65.5 per cent for Sunday newspapers, higher figures than the comparable American statistics. Newspaper internet news sites attract the most internet users.

"Claims of the imminent eclipse of newspapers are vastly exaggerated," he said.

The research team brought together journalism academics, newspaper professionals and members of the Council's secretariat, and was co-ordinated by Professor McKinnon.

The report looks at trends in the print media, including economics, circulation, credibility and training and includes an analysis of the impact of legislative, judicial and administrative restrictions on the ability of the press to inform the public. It is available in printed form from the Press Council ($6, GST inclusive) and has been posted to the Internet: http://www.presscouncil.org.au/snpma/snpma_index.html

Professor McKinnon said the trends suggest that the skills developed in newsrooms in collecting, organising and presenting news, and commentary on that news, will continue to be skills in prime demand, both for attracting readers for newspapers and for bringing users to Internet news sites.

"Whether national or local, newspaper companies that put their faith in incisive, balanced, authoritative journalism will continue to prosper. Less obvious than current economic pressures, but probably even more important for prosperity, will be enhancement of the 'brand', the company's reputation for high quality, accurate and balanced reporting.

"The vast and chaotic cyberspace undoubtedly has something for everyone, but citizens need that coherent understanding of the diversity within their society and the means of resolving problems that the skilled staff of newspapers organise and present daily," he said.

On questions related to freedom of the public to be informed, Professor McKinnon added that the trends noted in the report were worrying. "While Australia is among the most liberal societies in the world, with a strong tradition of press freedom, traditional freedoms are being whittled away.

"Recent federal anti-terrorism, ASIO, telecommunications interception and national security legislation have all expanded restrictions on the ability of the press to report matters of public interest. The courts, including the High Court in its recent Freedom of Information decision, are restricting the right of the public to be informed, especially, in the lower courts, through excessive use of suppression orders," he said.

"Even the press itself can be complicit in a bad trend, by sometimes seeking to buy exclusive reporting rights on events, short-sightedly allowing commercial interests to outweigh a commitment to press freedom."

Professor McKinnon concluded, "The study had revealed both the innate strength and adaptability of the press in Australia in the face of the challenges from any quarters. It will be fascinating to see where the trends identified take us."

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The report is available online or can be purchased for $6 (GST inclusive) from the Council office

Launch

The State of the News Print Media in Australia will be officially launched Wednesday 11 October at 11.00 am at the Press Council's offices, Suite 10.02, 117 York Street, Sydney.

Professor Ken McKinnon, the Council's Chairman, and Jack Herman, its Executive Secretary, will launch the Report and be available for comment and questions.

see also
2006 State of the News Print Media in Australia report