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The communications watchdog will be holding a consultation on a ‘news measurement framework’ for media diversity and localism in Australia.
The consultation paper to be released by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in early 2023 will aid in the formulation of a framework to modernise the way news media diversity is measured in Australia.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said, “The issue of media diversity and news media concentration is a matter of concern to many Australians.”
To influence media policy interventions and create policies that support public interest journalism and media diversity, the federal government needs solid evidence on the news market, including information on the news that Australians can access and what they are reading.
Currently, ownership and control of conventional TV, print, and radio are measured and regulated using standard measures of media diversity based on regulations in the Broadcasting Services Act of 1992.
They do not, however, evaluate the popularity and consumption of news sources, nor do they take into consideration digital news services, according to the Albanese government.
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Australians are increasingly using the internet to acquire news, and conventional measurements of media diversity do not take this into account or attempt to analyze how it affects the larger news market.
“Australia needs a new framework for measuring news media diversity, one that takes account of the contemporary media environment and changing news media consumption patterns over time,” Rowland said.
Building on its research paper published in December 2020, the ACMA will conduct consultations on an alternative “news measurement framework.”
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The government said it aims to evaluate key indicators of the news market at the federal, state, and local levels:
The framework, created in partnership with top industry experts, is made up of indications that can be followed over time and give a better, more complete picture of the current, shifting news environment.
Early in 2023, a consultation document will be published in order to gather feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders on how to support media diversity and safeguard our democratic processes.
Additionally, the ACMA will explore for fresh studies and data sources that could help with model finalization.
The following steps in the ACMA’s work, such as potential pilot projects and other measurement activities to be carried out throughout 2023, will be informed by feedback from stakeholders.
Source: The Michelle Rowland MP
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
