Synthesis and priorities: news futures

Public interest journalism underpins democracy, accountability and social cohesion. Where there is a healthy news ecosystem, diverse voices are amplified, power is held to account and social cohesion increases. Despite this important function of news and journalism in society, the civic infrastructure for trustworthy news and public information is currently weak, fragmented, underfunded and struggling to adapt.

This report is about the challenges facing public interest journalism in Australia and the policy responses required to address its structural decline. Australia’s news ecosystem has been weakened by sustained newsroom closures and the redirection of advertising revenue to global digital platforms, undermining journalism’s democratic function. 

The report synthesises discussions held at a Media Policy Roundtable in 2026 which brought together 45 representatives from industry, government and academia. The discussions identified priority areas for intervention including platform regulation, sustainable funding models and the adoption of professional standards for emerging news providers. Participants emphasised that addressing the market failure in public interest journalism requires an evidence‑based policy paradigm focused on transparency, long‑term viability and national media literacy in an increasingly artificial intelligence (AI) driven information environment.