Greater diversity is needed in Australian media ownership to allow for a wider variety of voices to be heard and to better serve our communities, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance will tell a Senate inquiry today.
Australia has one of the most concentrated media sectors in the world, denying consumers a real choice for quality news, limiting job opportunities for journalists, reducing competition for advertisers, and giving inordinate power to a few entities to influence policy.
In its submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications inquiry into media diversity in Australia, MEAA has called for:
• Changes to competition and other laws to prevent mergers that lead to more harmful levels of media concentration.
• The federal government extending the operation of the Public Interest News Gathering program to make it an ongoing annual program.
• Public Broadcasters to be funded in a way that acknowledges the need to provide comprehensive, high-quality cross-platform media content in all parts of Australia.
• AAP's future should be sustained through regular, annual relief grants.
• Consideration of critical measures recommended in the United Kingdom and Canada such as governments directly funding local news and part-funding editorial positions.
