THERE'S no doubt regional news outlets are facing one of the biggest challenges in their history.
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Already, some of the bush's proudest titles have had to shut up shop amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
My heart goes out to the hard working men and women of titles like The Sunraysia Daily, The Barrier Daily Truth and The Yarram Standard who like so many other Australians are facing an uncertain future career-wise.
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However, I was buoyed to see many of the staff of the The Sunraysia Daily make a stand and virtually donate their time to keep the paper going.
It shows that us regional journalists are a bit of a rare breed.
We may often cop flack for not covering things like they used to be covered, but in every country journalist lies a desire to do their best for the community they call home.
Whether its reporting on landmark court cases, covering the decisions made at local-government level or being there when your local club wins the big game, every country journalist is trying to keep their community informed.
It is worth noting, the staff of The Sunraysia Daily have been able to continue serving their community through the federal government's $750 per week JobKeeper wage subsidies.
Until Monday, this was one of the few handouts the government has afforded the regional news sector, albeit an indirect one.
That was until the federal communications minister Paul Fletcher announced the government would release $5 million from the $48 million Small Publishers Innovation Fund to help see regional publishers through the pandemic.
It remains to be seen if this release of funds will be enough to prevent other regional mastheads and newsrooms across the country from closing their doors.
The government, I'm sure, will be hoping the funds will be enough to prevent vast parts of the country from going uncovered by the media, because if it is not, that could well be the reality.
Billy Jupp is an ACM journalist and a Tamworth resident.
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
