Independent publishers gather for summit on future of local news

Australia’s shrinking local media landscape has fuelled growth in independent news outlets, with publishers gathering in rural South Australia to discuss the challenges facing community journalism.

The Local and Independent News Association (LINA) summit in Murray Bridge comes amid growing concerns about the sustainability of regional news.

“While deeply embedded in their local communities, being an independent news publisher can be a challenging job. Some of our members are the only journalists reporting in their area,” LINA Executive Director Claire Stuchbery said.

LINA signed up its first member in 2022 and now supports over 170 news publishers across Australia.

Murray Bridge News managing editor Peri Strathearn started his publication six years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The LINA summit is always my favourite week of the year,” he said, “a time to network with amazing people, swap knowledge and feel supported in what can be a challenging operating environment.

“I hope LINA members will come away from these few days refreshed, full of enthusiasm and ready to implement what they’ve learned at their own publications around Australia.”

Declining advertising revenue and the rise of digital platforms continue to take a heavy toll on regional newsrooms.

The three-day summit brings publishers from around the country together for workshops on sustainable business structures, content creation and adapting to new technologies.

“One of LINA’s key roles is to help provide a network of support for people working in isolation to serve their communities,” said Ms Stuchbery.

“This is partly through the services we offer: tech support, legal advice, revenue growth programs, templates and training, and so on, but also facilitating opportunities like this for publishers to gather and connect with each other.”

The event also delves into video journalism and the rise of short-form content, which is transforming the sector and how audiences consume news.

A December 2025 survey by the Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI) found that while national and international stories largely dominate headlines, “many respondents signalled a thirst for more original, in-depth community news”.

Paul Thomas, managing director at Star News Group, told PIJI he wanted to see more “original local reporting … the stuff that shapes daily life and can’t be replaced by national commentary”.

“Local and regional news is critical to healthy communities,” responded Lee O’Connor, owner and editor of Coonnamble Times and the Western Plains App.

The survey also revealed that journalists want clearer distinctions between opinion and news.

Camilla Westerlund, founder and managing editor at Business News Australia, said she wanted to see less “journalism that’s abandoned objectivity in favour of advocacy”.

Ms Westerlund announced in January that Business News Australia had become another casualty in the struggle to sustain regional news, with the company entering liquidation.

She told PIJI the changing “economics of publishing” and lack of access to funding made continued operations unfeasible.

The LINA summit comes as hundreds of journalists at the ABC went on strike for the first time in 20 years.

Central to the dispute was a pay offer that was below inflation.

According to ABC management, it “reflects the maximum level” the government-funded outlet can “sustainably provide”.

As pressures mount across the sector, the summit will also examine the role of news in democracy and community life, highlighting the need to build awareness of the contribution journalism makes in communities.