While we await the AEC’s findings on this case, Country Press Australia president Andrew Schreyer says this serves as a timely warning about the increased risk of politically funded propaganda being passed off as independent news in the upcoming election campaign.
The AEC has an excellent record of strictly monitoring and regulating political advertising but now there is a new threat where fake ‘news’ sites can become a loophole for political advertising donations to be redirected to fund ‘journalism’ that mainly produces political propaganda.
Mr Schreyer said there were concerns from the organisation’s more than 240-strong membership that the level of trust readers had for local papers was being compromised following the recent emergence of a number of online publications produced by Gazette News.
He said claims by Gazette News to be committed to providing high-quality local journalism to communities where local news had declined or disappeared were both misleading and wrong, given there were dozens of independently owned mastheads that had existed in many cases for more than 150 years in some of the same areas where Gazette News now operated.
“It’s all too easy now to set up a ‘news’ website that publishes political propaganda dressed up as journalism and amplified through social media campaigns,” he said.
“Such sites are a threat to the integrity of our political advertising regulations and to the public trust in truly independent news publishers who are reporting objectively and holding the powerful to account.
“Most of our Country Press Australia member newspapers have news websites and a history dating back well over 100 years.
“In addition, many local radio and television services across rural and regional Australia have a proud history of supporting and serving local communities.
“Independently owned place-based public interest journalism providers such as our member newspapers work hard to earn the respect and trust of the communities they serve.”
Mr Schreyer said it could take years to earn that trust, but it could also be easily put at risk by entities whose actions could undermine what local papers had fought so hard for, and for so long.
“Our members produce balanced and accurate journalism underpinned by the integrity and respect they share for the community,” he said.
“We are concerned that the actions of this single organisation could undermine the respect readers have for authentic public interest journalism.”
It has been revealed that the three major funders of Gazette News have also donated more than $1.7 million to environmental lobby group Climate 200 and associated candidates, according to AEC disclosures.
“The revelation that Gazette News online publications are funded by top teal donors damages the reputation of independent regional, rural and local mastheads,” Mr Schreyer said.
“Consumers of content produced by Gazette News publications need to be made aware of their funding sources and view their content through that lens.
“Balanced, independent and professionally produced public interest journalism such as that produced by our members is the democratic infrastructure that holds communities together.”
Mr Schreyer said as members of the Australian Press Council, CPA publications were required to abide by a code of ethics that stressed the importance of fairness and balance in their reporting, and for journalists to not be influenced by outside influences or organisations.
Mr Schreyer welcomed Nationals leader David Littleproud’s intervention in this matter and thanked him for his strong representation of local, rural and regional newspapers and the work they did in thousands of local communities across the nation.
“We also welcome calls by Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume for an investigation by the AEC into the origins and foundations of these digital publications and hope for a speedy resolution to this matter given the upcoming federal election,” he said.
• Andrew Schreyer is also the general manager of the Warragul and Drouin Gazette.
