Public Interest Journalism Initiative Explained

The Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI) is an independent Australian research and public policy institute, established in Melbourne in 2018. It is a registered not-for-profit charitable organisation[1] that is focused on research into sustainability in the news media sector. It was founded by a group of university academics, including members of the Public Interest Journalism Foundation, and news media industry figures. It was established with philanthropic funding from the Susan McKinnon Foundation,[2] Australian Communities Foundation[3] and Hecht Trust.

Research

PIJI research focuses on three main areas: assessing media diversity; measuring public support and value of journalism; and evaluating mechanisms for financial support.

In April 2020 PIJI launched the Australian News Mapping Project, an ongoing research project to track changes to the production and availability of news media.[4] [5] The project has attracted significant media attention as a source of independent information about Australian journalism.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] In 2023, the Australian Government funded PIJI to continue this project.[11]

Other research projects have proposed a public interest journalism rebate scheme[12] [13] and investigated philanthropic funding for news companies.[14] [15]

PIJI also contributed to the development of the News Media Bargaining Code.[16] [17] [18] [19]

Governance

PIJI's Board of Directors is chaired by Professor Allan Fels. Its Board includes Eric Beecher, Richard Eccles, Leslie Falkiner-Rose, Virginia Haussegger, Anita Jacoby and Mette Schepers.[20] Past members of the Board include Professor Glyn Davis, Adam Ferrier, Karen Mahlab, Dr Sophie Oh, Grant Rule, Dr Margaret Simons, and Professor Marilyn Warren.

Its research programme is overseen by a panel of academic experts including Professor Derek Wilding (Chair), Associate Professor Jason Bosland, Professor Axel Bruns, Associate Professor Andrea Carson, Associate Professor Andrew Dodd, Professor Kristy Hess, Professor Sora Park, Dr Margaret Simons and Professor Glenn Withers.

PIJI has a partnership agreement with the University of Melbourne.[21] It has previously been partnered with the newDemocracy Foundation.[22]

External links

Official website

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2021-10-07. PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM INITIATIVE LTD. 2021-11-16. www.acnc.gov.au. en.
  2. Web site: Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI). 2021-11-16. Susan McKinnon Foundation. en-AU.
  3. Web site: Strengthening Democracy - Australian Communities Foundation. 2021-11-16. communityfoundation.org.au. en.
  4. Web site: Dickson. Gary. 2020-04-01. The Australian Newsroom Mapping Project. 2021-11-16. anmp.piji.com.au.
  5. News: Granger. Jacob. 2021-12-22. Ideas for innovating public interest news: The Australian Newsroom Mapping Project. Journalism.co.uk. 2021-12-31.
  6. News: Birch. Laura. 2020-05-20. 'That's where we find out our news': Communities are mourning the loss of regional papers. en-AU. ABC News. 2021-11-16.
  7. Web site: Fleet. Nadja. 2021-05-27. The Sunshine Coast will find it harder to be heard as yet another news bulletin gets axed. 2021-11-16. The Courier-Mail. en-AU.
  8. Web site: Meade. Amanda. 2021-04-28. News Corp Australia merges more than 20 regional newspapers with capital city mastheads. 2021-11-16. Guardian Australia. en.
  9. News: Harris. Lauren. 2021-03-31. The journalism crisis across the world. Columbia Journalism Review. 2021-11-16.
  10. News: O’Shea. Lizzie. 2021-02-25. Opinion Can Australia Save Journalism From the Internet?. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-11-16. 0362-4331.
  11. Web site: 27 February 2023 . Journalism heading in the right direction with News MAP . 17 November 2023 . Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
  12. Web site: Mason. Max. 2019-11-20. Fels calls for tax incentives to back public interest journalism. 2021-11-16. Australian Financial Review. en.
  13. Web site: Mason. Max. 2020-09-20. Tax rebates for journalism could unlock $700m in benefits. 2021-11-16. Australian Financial Review. en.
  14. Web site: Doherty. Linda. 2021-09-15. Philanthropic support for public interest journalism: what are the roadblocks?. 2021-11-16. Croakey Health Media. en-CA.
  15. Web site: Michael. Luke. 2021-09-13. Philanthropy has a role to play in funding NFP journalism. 2021-11-16. Pro Bono Australia. en-US.
  16. Web site: Mason. Max. 2020-11-22. Media bosses urge government to act on code amid intense lobbying. 2021-11-16. Australian Financial Review. en.
  17. Web site: Chambers. Geoff. 2020-08-01. Google and Facebook told to pay for news content. 2021-11-16. The Australian. en-AU.
  18. Web site: Meade. Amanda. 2020-08-30. Google and Facebook should pay to use ABC and SBS content, ACCC told. 2021-11-16. Guardian Australia. en.
  19. Web site: Groch. Sherryn. 2021-02-18. Why has Facebook banned news and what does it mean for you?. 2021-11-16. The Sydney Morning Herald. en.
  20. Web site: Board. 2021-11-16. Public Interest Journalism Initiative. en-AU.
  21. Web site: Industry links, School of Culture and Communication .
  22. Web site: 2019-05-14 . Auspiced Independent Project: Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI) . 2021-11-16 . newDemocracy Foundation . en-US.

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