2016-01-25
Laura Hedge
A large proportion of Australians live in a cacophony of information.
With multiple radio channels to flick through, a readily searchable internet, hundreds of television channels and a seemingly healthy choice of radio stations across the country, it is easy to assume we have a huge choice when it comes to media and that there are more stories being told than ever before.
In reality, Australia's media is still one of the most concentrated in ownership in the democratic world. Without safeguards in place, the number of local community stories created could be severely reduced as media organisations reduce costs and skirmish for larger audiences.
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield is currently preparing legislation to further deregulate media ownership laws — laws which were originally put in place as an insurance mechanism to ensure diversity.
Publicly, two areas of the laws have been identified as onerous: the reach rule which prevents free-to-air networks from buying regional affiliates if it means they'd reach more than 75% of the population; as well as the two-thirds rule which prevents proprietors from owning print, television and radio networks in one market.
Digital dilemma
The impetus behind the reforms is of course the Internet which has changed the media playing field and introduced a new cast of media players. Almost everything can be streamed and alternative media sources such as the Huffington Post, Al Jazeera and the Guardian have, to a degree, loosened the grip of Australia's traditional media duopoly of Fairfax and News Corporation.
The news media industry has made no secret of the financial beating it is taking as more people turn to the Internet for information. In regional areas, the newsrooms creating stories for entire towns have been severely reduced. Fairfax cut scores of journalists from regional newsrooms last year with a total of 109 journalists "let go" across titles such as the Border Mail, the Courier (Ballarat) and the Illawarra Mercury. Regional broadcasters have also launched the 'Save Our Voices' campaign to change the reach and two-thirds rule so that they can be more competitive.
The current rules restraining media owners are very much out of touch with the 21st century, with no recognition of 'digital media'. Newspapers can now be accessed online from almost anywhere. High speed broadband has also allowed free-to-air broadcasters to work around their reach limits through catch-up services delivered online.
Looking ahead
So what can we do? The good news is that we're not starting from scratch. “A lot of good thinking has already been done,”, says Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, through reports such as the Convergence Review, which can be used as a building block for media reform.
The Greens have supported the lifting of the reach rule, but this is contingent on safeguarding the little diversity Australian media does have, including protecting local content in regional Australia.
In the sweeping reforms, it is still unknown how the minimum local content requirement would be affected. Some media organisations including Prime and WIN easily exceed their minimum quotas of 55 per cent Australian programming between 6am and midnight currently. But it is possible that if ownership laws are abolished the owners of regional networks could strip back local content in order to cut costs. According to Screen Australia, imports typically cost around 75 per cent less per hour than Australian equivalents.
“There are interesting proposals out there to introduce a local content levy to the big international players,” Senator Ludlam said.
The Greens have previously argued in favour for increasing the Australian content quota with further media deregulation. When broadcasters were given a 50 per cent reduction in license fees, the Greens proposed that doubling Australian content should be part of the deal.
Other measures
Increasing the funding for community media and improving the broadband network are also measures which can ensure local content is produced and that it can be delivered to the homes of the third of all Australians living in regional areas.
The removal of the two-thirds rule however has the potential to further decrease Australia's already ailing media diversity. Newspaper ownership is perhaps as concentrated as it has ever been since it peaked in 1923 with 21 independent owners. In 2013 News Limited, Fairfax Media and APN News and Media controlled about 98 per cent of printed news. News Limited and Fairfax together controlled about 88 per cent.
If you look at ACMA's 'Media Interests Snapshots' for 2016 you'll see only 11 primary stakeholders in Australia's media across print, radio and television.
And while the Internet has provided incredible access to varying perspectives and stories from around the world, many of the favoured news websites are iterations of traditional outlets including News Corporation, Fairfax Media and Seven West Media.
There are various small initiatives that could be put into action to keep media outlets independent and competitive instead. One example is spreading government advertising spend across local and specialist publications and broadcasters.
Reversing the severe cuts to the ABC would also allow the network to better reflect Australian communities outside the hubs of Sydney and Melbourne. The ABC has had its budget cut by $250 million for a five-year period beginning in 2014.
Yes, profits in the news industry are down and circulation numbers are slipping. But the news business is unique in that it is not there to simply turn a profit. Diversity in media is a primary means of enabling citizens to participate in democracy and recording Australia's stories.
Pointing to the Internet as a cure-all for media diversity neglects the importance of other media and fails to acknowledge the influence of traditional media owners online. Diversity can't simply be hoped for as businesses look to increase their markets; it needs to be defended.
Laura Hedge is a Sydney writer and Digital Content Coordinator for Fast Cover, a travel insurance company. She writes about gender, mental health, refugees and racism.