LINA is a not-for-profit industry association supporting a movement of local and independent digital news publishers.
Who we are
LINA is an incorporated, ACNC registered, not-for-profit industry body. LINA was founded in 2021 by the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA), a DGR1 charity running for over 40 years, and welcomed our first staff member and member newsroom in 2022. LINA is run by an independent board and a small team working remotely across Australia.
What we do
Strengthening public interest journalism
LINA works to ensure that Australians have access to independent, original and high-quality news, covering issues and information important to communities.
Capacity-building support
LINA provides publishers with resources, training events, guides, templates, shared-services and 1:1 support, to generate economies of scale for small businesses.
Growing newsrooms’ financial sustainability
LINA provides discounts and revenue generating programs and support to build newsrooms’ sustainability and diversify income streams.
Representation and recognition
LINA champions the work of local and independent publishers through government liaison and representation in policy forums.
LINA member newsrooms
To be eligible for LINA membership, newsrooms must be:
- Publishing high-quality news content that meets the Australian Press Council and LINA Editorial Standards
- Publishing digitally (many also distribute with print, radio and/or podcast or other platforms)
- Independently owned, within the community they serve
- Engaging journalists and contributors who are based within the location or community they serve
- Producing content that is community focused, delivering public interest journalism and information on a broad range of topics to community, and responsive to the needs and priorities of their community
These ‘green-shoots’ of the news industry include:
- 176 newsrooms
- Reaching 10,727,435 people a month
- Producing 2,519 public interest stories a week
LINA’s impact
Since LINA’s launch there has been an acceleration in newsroom openings in Australia. 40 percent of LINA member publishers launched in the past four years.
The Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI) recorded the net contraction of newsroom closures also slowed significantly over the past two years, post LINA’s emergence. LINA members reported positive signs of growth between 2023 and 2024, including income growth by an average of over 10%, a growth in staff team for 30% of publishers, and new services launched for almost half of newsrooms.
