General Press Release No. 284 (December 2008)

2008 News Print Media Report

There has been a continuing sharp increase in the number of Australian readers accessing newspapers via the internet in 2008, yet weekday circulation in broadsheets is generally holding steady, while there has been only a slight decline in tabloid circulation. The resilience of newspaper circulation, and increased internet access, may be attributable to the continuing excellence of the investigative journalism and in-depth analysis provided by newspapers.

These are amongst the key trends noted in the 2008 State of the News Print Media in Australia released today by the Australian Press Council. The report is the third annual edition of the Council's efforts to chart the important trends in the print media, including its circulation and readership, its increasing adoption of the online environment, and the emerging threats to the ability of newspapers responsibly to report matters of public interest and concern. The reports are an initiative of the Council and developed in conjunction with media organisations and independent academic researchers.

The report has been posted online to the Press Council website (http://www.presscouncil.org.au/snpma/snpma2008/index_snpma2008.html). The report is also available in hardcopy from the Council office.

The report notes that, while there have certainly been evolutionary changes within organisations, consequent to moves towards the 24-hour newsroom, and in reporters' roles, the frequent prophecies of the imminent end of newspapers from the doomsayers have not been accurate for Australia, at least not yet.

Articles in the 2008 edition make clear that convergence of media platforms has transformed newsrooms, requiring multi-skilled staff and reformed training practices, both in tertiary institutions and media organisations, and has led to substantial job losses. But traditional news values persist within established media organisations despite changed newsrooms and new media, even in the face of persistent official spin. Newspapers alone provide the sort of detailed background to, and analysis of, major stories that enable readers to place the matter within a relevant context.

The ability of print media organisations to devote resources to investigative journalism, and thereby set the agenda for the media generally, is exemplified in the report by a detailed analysis of the ways in which two broadsheet newspapers reported the case of Dr Mohamed Haneef. Diligent and persevering investigatory work, led by one outstanding journalist, raised many doubts about the original trajectory of the story. Leads were pursued and the police work questioned in such a way that the prosecution appeared to be unjustified, doing the accused a real injustice. The analysis in the report provides a compelling picture of newspapers determined to devote enough resources to get to the bottom of a major security event and properly analyse it.

The report also highlights debates over increased use of outside contributions to newspapers, including a greater reliance on press release material, news agency feeds from affiliated overseas newspapers, blogging and non-journalist sources, including readers and paid sources. The needs of a 24-hour newsroom have led to a greater reliance on such sources. The current claim is that the greater reliance on outside sources has led to a diminution in quality. The report establishes no particular data trend in tis area but suggests that it would be a fertile area for further research.

In particular, the growth over the last few years of media management teams (aka "spin doctors") within all organisations of any size raises the bar for journalists and editors. Access to the principals involved in a news story, including CEOs and elected officials, is often well-nigh impossible. All of which leads to an unfortunate trend, as yet anecdotal and unquantified, but alluded to in the report, in which newsroom pressures result in everyday reuse of press releases without adequate checking or analysis. Checking the reliability of press release information, or of unattributable "spin", lies at the heart of good journalism.

The report also details how vigorous efforts of the Press Council, and latterly the publishers' Right to Know campaign, have arrested the trend of several years toward erosion of free speech. A report on the current state of press freedom issues takes up the narrative of the two previous reports and charts the developments, many of them hopeful towards more open government and a greater availability of information. It also highlights that not all the developments are positive and that the move towards a tort of privacy in the absence of any legislated freedom of communications threatens to widen the ability of public figures to stifle debate on importance to readers.

As Council Chairman Ken McKinnon notes in his introduction:

The already tough times for newspapers are about to get tougher as a direct consequence of world-wide economic hardships. Fortunately Australia is distinguished by newspaper management that is inventive and responsive to reader needs. Some see the necessary actions as a survival challenge, whereas others, more confident, see new opportunities. Most of the trends reported in this edition, particularly those that highlight the continuing importance to readers of the quality of journalism, are capable of exploitation in positive ways.

See also
2008 State of the News Print Media in Australia report
2007 State of the News Print Media in Australia report
2006 State of the News Print Media in Australia report

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