Report launch: Engaged Journalism in the Heartland - Understanding Regional News Audiences

If you would like to join this seminar today please email nmrc@canberra.edu.au

We invite you to the launch of the report Engaged Journalism in the Heartland - Understanding Regional News Audiences at 11 am AEST on 28 August 2025.

Based on a national investigation of what audiences want from local news and how they might be involved in the production and dissemination of news, this report identifies the void in the provision of local news as news organisations struggle to find optimal business models to serve the local community.

We also find that the shift to digital in regional news has enabled a unique news ecosystem where audiences are actively engaged in the generation and distribution of news through digital platforms.  

We pay special attention to visual news given that smartphones are an important part of the local news landscape, both in its production and consumption. To better understand how audience participation can strengthen the relationship with local news media we apply the concept of engaged journalism. The report includes key recommendations for the local news industry and stakeholders.  

Professor Sora Park, Dr Jee Young Lee (University of Canberra) and Dr T.J. Thomson (RMIT) will highlight the key findings from the study. Following this, Professor Kristy Hess (Deakin University) will provide a commentary.

The research is funded by the Australian Research Council Linkage Project ‘Heartbeat of Australia: Tracking, Understanding and Engaging News Audiences’ and Discovery Early Career Researcher Award ‘Addressing the Crisis of Local Visual News in Regional and Remote Australia’.