AAP closure “a sad reminder”
Closure of newswire after 85 years a reason for real reform, or gross abandonment by media outlets?
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
Free to Air networks have drawn upon the closure of Australian Associated Press as a reminder of the need for industry reforms.
Long-running wires service AAP yesterday announced it would close in June, after 85 years, following shareholders Nine, News Corp Australia, The West Australian and Australian Community Media deciding to pull the plug. Around 180 journalists will be affected by the move.
Subediting service Pagemasters will also close in August.
Free TV CEO, Bridget Fair said “Today’s AAP announcement is a sad reminder of the pressures that Australian media businesses currently face. The work of AAP and its journalists was highly valued by Free TV members.
“This shines a big, bright light on the impact that digital giants Google and Facebook are having on Australia’s media landscape.
“In response to the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry, the Government has required that Google and Facebook negotiate bargaining Codes of Conduct to redress the substantial power imbalance between them and Australia’s media businesses.
“This also shows the urgency of reform of Australia’s archaic media regulations. It is simply not sustainable for our media businesses to continue to operate under regulations from the last century in areas such as Australian content quotas and advertising restrictions.
“Today’s sad decision to close AAP only serves to emphasise that there is no time to waste in finalising both the bargaining Code and regulatory reform. The risk of Australians losing their trusted, local news services is real and it is here now.”
But the MEAA described the move as a gross abandonment of responsibility by its shareholders – Australia’s major media outlets.
MEAA Media federal president Marcus Strom said: “There are at least 180 editorial jobs at stake – making AAP a major media operation. Any decision to abandon AAP will be devastating for our members and AAP staff and we will do all in our power to support them.
“This decision will also devastate the media industry and the communities it serves. AAP’s shareholders must realise the prospect they face should they abandon AAP. Look at the news stories, the photos, the coverage, the quotes and the enormous spectrum of excellent journalism that AAP has supplied over the past 85 years. AAP delivers news, photos and sub-editing services that the major media groups either cannot or will not.
“Beancounters at the top of media organisations might think they can soldier on without AAP, but the reality is it will leave a huge hole in news coverage. Filling those holes will fall to already overburdened newsroom journalists. Or coverage will simply cease to occur.
“AAP has also trained generations of journalists and has been an excellent start for many of Australia’s top journalists. It is reckless and short-sighted of media bosses to jettison this wonderful media institution.
“To lose AAP is to deny Australians across the nation of essential news and information.”
MEAA is currently consulting with its members and MEAA House Committee delegates at AAP.
2 Responses
Instead if the MEAA President blaming major media outlets, maybe he should be blaming the government for allowing Google and Facebook to do what they like. Major media outlets are in survival mode and will do what they have to to stay afloat.
The standard of journalism in Australia is under pressure from ever-restrictive budgets and the demands of a (perceived) news cycle that drives tabloid-style reporting and diminishing editorial standards. Some attention to quality and relevance in the reporting of our news is overdue and would restore faith in the value of local news services.