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Do we really need public funded journalism?

By Chris Lewis - posted Thursday, 19 October 2017


And, in line with The Economist predicting the web's potential to increase investigative opportunities on the basis that a new force of "citizen" journalists and bloggers could emerge in order to hold politicians to account, Coe points to added opportunities for opinion pieces from non-journalists with regard to local issues within a view now "that the more local voices we can get, the better".

Importantly, Coe notes a much better attitude towards taking outside opinion pieces, as long as "the voice is local and relevant", especially when compared to "a very high level of arrogance around that sort of stuff 15 or 20 years ago".

For example, I was able to produce an opinion piece for the Border Mail about the lack of choice for new home buyers with regard to problematic and expensive gas solar hot water systems, an effort which has resulted in my local state MP asking me to send the information to Victoria's shadow energy minister. I also provided the related OLO piece which was far more comprehensive in terms of related information.

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On 18 October 2017, a staff member of David Southwick MP responded seeking further discussion on the basis that "the Victorian Coalition prioritises energy affordability and reliability above ideological renewable energy targets. The example you have given demonstrates a significant and unacceptable cost to the consumer".

To conclude, Australia's liberal democracy already possesses the essential ingredients for an effective media without further government assistance, despite a 2015 estimate that just 21 per cent of households purchase a print or digital news subscription with 89 per cent not willing to pay for online news given the abundance of free information.

In the end, it is up to all of us to make the key players work, whether it be via our local politicians or the media.

Anything else is simply a whinge which forgets the reality that our own efforts are key to maximising our liberal democratic potential to effectively balance economic and social policy considerations in such a competitive world.

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About the Author

Chris Lewis, who completed a First Class Honours degree and PhD (Commonwealth scholarship) at Monash University, has an interest in all economic, social and environmental issues, but believes that the struggle for the ‘right’ policy mix remains an elusive goal in such a complex and competitive world.

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Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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