Peri Strathearn

News MAP money is coming!

Actual grant funding by the federal government, 3.5 years after it was first promised by a Labor opposition two elections ago.

Applications to the $67.6 million Journalism Assistance Fund will open in mid-November.

#NewsMAP

National news summit will be held in Murray Bridge Murray Bridge News will co-host a national conference of the Local and Independent News Association in March 2026.

I'm so excited about this.

The @lina.org.au summit is my favourite few days of the year. Getting to host it in Murray Bridge in 2026 is gonna be a career highlight.

Can't wait to welcome you all to the Murraylands.

Opinion: Fears lecture model broken at SA's merged uni - News | InDaily, Inside South Australia Dr Chrisanthi Giotis calls for Adelaide University to protect in-person lectures, describing any loss as a tragedy for SA students.

It has been 20+ years since I did my undergrad degree, but I agree with Chrisanthi here: the experience wouldn't have been so formative without in-person, shoulder-to-shoulder learning, including in lecture theatres.

(I'm curious about the idea of viva voce too, but that's another story.)

Our Publications - Public Media Alliance PMA has an established role and reputation in commissioning original research and publications on key themes and stakeholders in public service media.

Anyway, if you've got this far, read the thing: www.publicmediaalliance.org/resources/kn...

They also propose an Australian Local News Proximity Index, which could be used to target government funding on the basis of geographic, cultural and social proximity.

I'm always interested in contributions to this conversation... but I also wish governments would actually deliver some funding!

Broadly, the researchers suggest:
🤝 Meaningful public-private sector collaboration is "essential"
📏 So is measuring its impact on democracy, social cohesion, sector sustainability etc
📍 We need clear ideas about what "local" news is
➕ Value-adding is better than straight syndication

There are some really interesting examples, like Norsk Rikskringkasting's collaboration desk, RNZ's version of the UK's Local Democracy Reporting scheme, even the CBC's local news directory for a low-intensity initiative....

Working Together | Examining public service media collaboration in local news ecologies: A global perspective

For news publishers, there's a lot to take out of this recent report by Kristy Hess, Angela Ross et al, looking at public broadcasters' partnerships with other media around the world...

Should public media help solve the local news crisis? - Public Media Alliance A new report explores how public media can work with local news media, to uphold local democracy and prevent news deserts.

Keen to give this whole report a read, but here's a taste. What can public broadcasters do to help amid a crisis for local news?

What If All Media is Marketing? The Logical Conclusion of Plummeting Creation Costs

I'm not a subscriber, but even the free section of this piece by Doug Shapiro is insightful. This is the big-picture thinking we need to survive in media.

The Kyle & Jackie O Show receives a gumming from ACMA's toothless tiger Today: The ACMA is slow and powerless, as The Kyle & Jackie O Show demonstrates once again. And further down, SCA’s share price goes negative as the market digests the SWM merger plan.

"Only if the ACMA now imposes a new condition that breaching the decency standard for a tenth (11th; 12th?) time could affect the licence, might we see an actual commercial consequence."

This s*** gives everyone in media a bad name. ACMA, or someone, needs to bring it to heel.

Golden North’s Dimi Kyriazis will speak at business breakfast Murray Bridge News is bringing business breakfasts back to the Murraylands, starting with an event featuring an ice cream manufacturer in spring 2025.

Excited to be bringing ice cream mogul Dimi Kyriazis to Murray Bridge on October 15 for a breakfast chat about his business' expansion plans in the Murraylands.

Thomas Foods agrees to improve after locals raise a stink Pressure from neighbours and the EPA has prompted one of the Murraylands’ biggest businesses to lift its game.

Chalk another win up for public pressure + local media: a major Murraylands employer has agreed to tighter licence conditions after neighbours complained about the smell.

Ep 31 - No journalism today - Media Watch Reporters urged to embrace the beauty of a one-sided story.

To my colleagues in Canberra: please be better than this!

I know you have professional FOMO. I know it's your responsibility to ensure your readers get access to every story. But not on ridiculous terms dictated by the government or opposition, surely.

BotW: Northbound Today: Crushed nuts and taking the free out of freedom of information.

"Genuinely open democracies start with the assumption that all info should be freely shared unless there is a strong public interest reason why not. Australian institutions often start with an assumption that you shouldn’t share info unless you have to."

I hate how right Tim Burrowes is on this.

Murray Bridge’s reputation is out of date, so how do we change it? The river city is in need of a new identity if it is to shake its “meth town” label, local marketing experts say.

From me: How can a community get rid of its bad, old reputation? I ask a couple of Murraylands marketing experts, and put their thoughts to the council CEO.

From Washington Post to Manchester's Mill Media for new investigations editor Ex-Washington Post managing editor Cameron Barr hopes to help "restore and revive investigative accountability" at Manchester-based Mill Media

To watch a publication that came up at the same time as my own, on the same platform (albeit in a market 150x bigger), go on to this kind of success is just incredible. Hats off to @joshiherrmann.bsky.social and his team.

"Labor considers that govt intervention to support public interest journalism should be done within a principles-based and evidence-informed framework. It is unacceptable that the LNP govt has distributed tens of millions in grants without a clear plan."

Plan came out last December, but no $$$ yet.

Suddenly, offsets are the next thing on the news industry's lobbying agenda Going to Canberra yesterday reminded me of a trip to Dallas to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band a few years back.Visiting Dealey Plaza, the scene of JFK’s assassination, created a distinct ...

Now the movers and shakers are talking about tax offsets for journalists' salaries instead of a digital platforms levy, or a bargaining code, reports @timburrowes.bsky.social.

More than three years have passed since Labor (in opposition!) promised certainty to the media sector. We're still waiting!

News | InDaily, Inside South Australia announces new Editor - News | InDaily, Inside South Australia An award-winning South Australian journalist is the new Editor of InDaily.

Congrats to Belinda Willis as she settles into one of the most important roles in South Australian media.

Jockey airlifted to Adelaide after fall in Murray Bridge Apprentice Rachael Kraemer is in a stable condition following an accident on a property in the city’s west last week.

The identity of a jockey who suffered a nasty fall in Murray Bridge last week has been revealed. Thankfully her condition is stable.

Fire destroys shed on Hill Street A Murray Bridge family has escaped a blaze which broke out behind their home on Monday.

This spring has been a bad time for fires and accidents in the Murraylands. Yesterday it was a shed fire on my old street.

Why Australia's media literacy must improve At a time when technology makes it easier than ever to mislead, media literacy is vital. Yet too many Australians lack the skillset to sort truth from false.

Mis- and disinformation are among the biggest threats to world peace at the moment. Why is our government dragging its feet on addressing the problem?

A black and white photo of Peri Strathearn taken on a vintage twin-lens camera by Ethan Klemm.

File this under friggin' cool.

I recently wrote a story about an analogue photographer who had produced a book about car culture. During our interview, he shot a pic of me on his old twin-lens Mamiya C330. He just sent me the developed image.

Thank you Ethan Klemm!

The missing ingredients holding local news back - 360 From dwindling newspaper pages to news fatigue, regional communities feel a growing gap between their lives and their local coverage. Audiences are now asking for stories that reflect positivity, crea...

"Audiences want local news that is related to their everyday lived experiences, initiatives and achievements in their local community, and stories that highlight community resilience."

Encouraging bit of research by @skpark.bsky.social and her colleagues.

🙂 Good News - Murray Bridge News Sick of all the negativity? We aim to tell positive stories about the Murraylands – here's a selection.

Finding out what's happening in the world shouldn't be depressing, should it?

That's why, at Murray Bridge News, we've introduced a Good News section, with all the celebrations, award wins and sporting victories you could want – not a crime or disaster in sight.

Gifford Hill development progresses: ‘We’re going as fast as we can’ Exclusive: Here’s what the proponents behind one of the biggest land developments in SA’s history have accomplished in the past year.

I was delighted this week to chat with James Dibble from Grange Development, and get an update on one of the biggest residential developments in SA's history: Gifford Hill.

Not just meth, and not just Murray Bridge: Drug use is a problem everywhere A counselling service provider has confirmed what wastewater testing suggests: illicit and legal drugs are an issue all over regional Australia.

Murray Bridge has a reputation as a "meth town". Is that fair? We investigate.

Liz's first song was about Harry Potter. Now she's playing Coachella The Beths are known for pairing deeply personal, anxiety-fuelled lyrics with punchy, upbeat indie rock melodies, earning them the attention of former US president Barack Obama and propelling the band ...

I'm not really up with current music any more, not like I was back in my 20s. But I tell you what, I'm excited to give the new album by the Beths a spin. Top shelf songwriting.

The next internet for news? Publishers gather to discuss protocols over platforms Journalists and tech industry workers gathered at Protocols for Publishers to talk about building an internet that works for news.

Individual organizations can survive in a destroyed ecosystem, but for publishers to thrive, they need to figure out how to both address the rise of AI, which feels inevitable, and connect directly with audiences who are hungry for information.