Yep because let’s count, shall we?
Herald-Sun: 1 reporter in a churn and burn story set-up
Bendigo Advertiser: recently had its rival merge into it and is hiring, like other stablemate papers, for a “property reporter” rather than a reporter who will expose any issues. Look at Catalano’s previous MO with suburban papers in Melbourne: focus on property advertising and increase lifestyle content at the expense of actual news.
ABC “Radio”: Three news reporters stretched across TV, online and radio, a local breakfast show - one announcer, one producer and a local “digital features” reporter.
Local FM: one breakfast journalist/newsreader who also has to do another region.
The end.
Win may not have done a fuckload of original reporting but what TV does is keep accountability because people have to front up for the cameras. They also had a broader reach in that region than the others listed above. Win covered Swan Hill well, which is already poorly served with only a local paper. (Its ABC is shared with Mildura, another area with shocking coverage.)
Many think “oh well, why does this matter?” Because when the media decides you don’t matter, many others - companies, government - follow suit. And there’s less accountability and scrutiny and knowledge of what people are doing in your area.
We saw this with suburban media but no one said much. Now there’s no newspapers or even real coverage of more than two-thirds of councils in metropolitan Melbourne. One recently signed a deal with Woolworths for it to build a public library in exchange for approval to build a supermarket. Aside from a national property website, this went unreported apart from a council press release which of course suggested it was a great deal. But the council got heaps of money from Woolies - don’t ratepayers deserve to know this?
Regional media is now, particularly in Victoria. Arguably it’s already been decimated in NSW.
Next it’ll be the metro media. When 10 goes national, which seems particularly likely, there’s one less reporter asking questions of the SA premier or the QLD police commissioner on behalf of the local community.
Yes, mass media is imperfect. But in the absence of the so-called “citizen journalists”, who apparently 10 years ago were going to save the profession, it’s the best we’ve got. We, as media consumers, and particularly as those with a keen interest on this site, need to fight for and champion news media services.
So let’s stop with these arguments that Win’s local news disappearing won’t do anything. Look at SA and perhaps let’s ask residents in Loxton and Mount Gambier - or even Mildura in Victoria - and ask what’s happened since Win left.