Membership pricing will be set from 1st July each year for the financial year ahead with notification of any changes issued in early June.
We recognise that starting a news service is hard and expensive. LINA supports start-up newsrooms by offering discount membership rates in your first year of operations.
We are currently inviting Flagship level LINA membership, which gives you access to all resources, tools and guides, group discount offers, networking events, training opportunities, information and opt-in collaborations.
LINA members are locally owned and controlled news publishers, creating news content by and for a defined community.
Hallmarks of LINA membership include:
- You publish quality news content that meets the LINA Editorial Standards and Australian Press Council’s Principles and Standards of Practice;
- While you might also have a print publication and/or other platforms, LINA members are digital native;
- You are independently owned (whether not-for-profit, sole traders, partnerships, cooperatives or companies, you are owned and operated within the community you serve);
- You engage journalists and contributors who are based within your location/community; and
- You are community focused, delivering public interest news and information on a broad range of topics to the community and responsive to the needs and priorities of your community.
LINA member services are primarily (but not exclusively) aimed at supporting small news providers with fewer than five (FTE equivalent) paid staff and are either not-for-profit or have an annual turnover of less than $350,000, however publishers with a higher income level are welcome to join.
Contact us if you’d like to discuss your membership eligibility — we’d love to chat.
Estimated value of industry membership
| Benefit | Value |
|---|---|
| Resource support | $450 |
| Discounts | $3,705 |
| Subsidies and grants | $12,975 |
| Legal services | $3,000 |
| Training Opportunities | $2,650 |
| Operational support | $1,700 |
| Representation and fundraising | $7,375 |
| Total annual value of a LINA membership* | $31,855 |
* Estimated annual value for a member engaging in all LINA offerings and discounts, etc
Membership benefits:
*Coming soon
“LINA has done an exceptional job to service and represent its members. LINA has also provided so many opportunities to learn, not just about the publishing business but also for personal growth.”
“Though producing hyperlocal independent news has been rewarding, there have been moments of loneliness without insights into how more seasoned publishers have found success. What I appreciated about the 2024 LINA Summit was discovering many others facing similar challenges and triumphs.”
“The LINA microgrant meant The Pineapple could hire a professional photographer for the first time and enabled us to produce two high quality pieces of public interest journalism. We now have our own image bank of pics for this story which is an amazing value add and will be used in many future news features.”
“LINA is doing an amazing job supporting local and independent news publishers like myself. For years, I felt in the wilderness as I struggled to put out local news and keep abreast of all the issues that impact local news publishers. Thank you, LINA.”
“There is no doubt that LINA is helping to sustain a diverse news media ecosystem. The work of LINA and its members is vital to the communities you serve and what brings us together.”
“I just want to say how awesome it was to have ABC Legal review that podcast for us. What an awesome resource to be available to LINA members. Really appreciate it!”
“LINA has connected Tasmanian Inquirer to a broader network of digital media startups, allowing us to learn from others experience, represent the emerging sector to government, share tips of our own and gain from shared programs and support we would otherwise not have time to develop on our own. LINA’s work is invaluable.”
“Working as a journalist in a small news company often means lacking thorough feedback opportunities. LINA’s sub-editing service came as a perfect solution for me. The feedback provided has been incredibly valuable and insightful. This service is sure to enhance my writing skills and contribute to my growth as a journalist.”
“I feel supported by the LINA team who are there ready to answer my questions/offer advice/support if required. The expertise that we have been able to call on has been beneficial.”
“As we initially focused on print, learning from other publishers who operate solely in the digital realm has been invaluable. Seeing how they generate revenue has allowed us to adopt similar strategies, especially in the digital space. As a result, we’ve been able to create new revenue streams for Echo News.”
“The summits remind me i am not alone, and I am doing a great job. I have so much to learn in this news world! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“I’m never sure that what we’re doing is good, and when I’m starting to think I should just give up then LINA kinda picks me up and throws me back into the ring for another round. I would have quit long ago if not for LINA’s support.”
“Being a LINA member has made the impossible seem a bit more possible. We publishers are all in our little silos, doing our thing; LINA helps us to appreciate that, although being an entrepreneur can be a lonely job, we’re all working side by side towards the same sort of goals.”
Services and benefits for Industry and Associate Members
| Service/benefit | Industry Member | Associate Member |
|---|---|---|
| Discounts | Y | Y |
| Subsidised Summit attendance | Y | Y |
| Access to advice, templates and resources | Y | Y |
| Invites to ‘Shop-talk’ and networking sessions | Y | Y |
| Member newsletter | Y | Y |
| Representation in policy forums | Y | Y |
| Access to content sharing and content amplification opportunities | Y | Y |
| Centralised IT support | Y | Y |
| Collective advertising representation | Y | Y |
| Coordinated fundraising participation | Y | Y |
| Access to training opportunities and resources | Y | Fee for service |
| Business coaching programs | Prioritised | Fee for service |
| On-demand HR support | Prioritised | Fee for service |
| Impact Tracking templates and data development/audience engagement support | Prioritised | Y |
| Access to shared services | Prioritised | Y |
| Access to donated equipment | Prioritised | Y |
| Award nomination service | Prioritised | Y |
| Eligibility for LINA distributed grants | Prioritised | Y |
| Vote at AGM | Y | |
| Slack channel access for support and collaboration | Y | |
| Access to pro bono legal advice | Y | |
| Subsidised membership to the Australian Press Council | Y | |
| Collective bargaining representation | Y |