Our impact

Our passion is to grow existing and encourage new independent media entrants.

This includes: 

• 176 newsrooms
• Reaching 10,727,235 people a month
• Producing 2,479 public interest stories a week 

These ‘green shoots’ of the news industry

Fight misinformation and disinformation

Illawarra Flame debunks fake wind-farm “study”

While heated discussion was underway last year about a proposal to build off-shore wind farms off the coast of Wollongong, opponents in the community, national media and parliament began circulating claims that wind turbines were dangerous to whales, supported by a supposed University of Tasmania study. Illawarra Flame investigated and found the research to be entirely fabricated, with no scientific evidence worldwide of wind farms harming whales, and were acknowledged for their commitment to fact-checking by Media Watch.

Create informed and engaged voters

Manningham Life compiles council voting record for locals ahead of election

In preparation for their local election, Manningham Life analysed four years’ worth of petitions and issues raised at local council meetings, and collated councillors’ voting records into a reader-friendly table. A LINA micro-grant covered the print costs for this to be included in the publication’s free print distribution. This was the first time such information was analysed and collated to inform voters in the local Melbourne community.

Hold leaders to account

The Post exposes council’s extravagant taxpayer funded lunch

A Post exclusive revealed local councillors and council staff using taxpayer funds to book an extravagant lunch workshop estimated to have cost about $20,000. Facilitated by LINA’s strategic partnership with the ABC, The Post was able to receive a pre-publication review of this article from ABC’s legal team, providing feedback to mitigate for defamation risk. Following publication, the story was then picked up by 2GB, Sydney’s premier news and talk radio station, giving the issue wider coverage.

Serve diverse and underrepresented voices

InDaily cover the South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament election 

A LINA micro-grant supported InDaily to undertake long-form reporting on South Australia’s state-based First Nations Voice to Parliament. InDaily’s Political Reporter travelled to remote communities in Port Lincoln, Ceduna and Yalata to observe elections and speak to Aboriginal people about their hopes and experiences, and potential impacts from the election process. The grant allowed this story to be covered in a more representative manner, centering Aboriginal voices that would otherwise not have been represented in the article.

Connect communities and support local initiatives

Brunswick Voice draws community fundraising support for local arts space

A local community not-for-profit arts space had been on the brink of closure after discovering it needed to raise $10,000 for building compliance. They had raised just a quarter of that after weeks of campaigning but after a single article in the Brunswick Voice they raised the full amount within a few days and were well on their way to $20,000.

Share critical information during and after emergencies

Newsport supports community through cyclone and aftermath 

When Cyclone Jasper hit the Douglas Shire in December 2023, regional Queensland digital-only publication Newsport provided live blog updates, with hour-by-hour emergency updates, coverage of road conditions and essential information about emergency services. Newsport received 158,000 unique visitors to their site during the week, a five times traffic increase. The team of four journalists and two regular columnists continued to report on clean-up actions, repairs and available support to help the community rebuild following the disaster, long after state-wide media organisations had discontinued their cyclone coverage.

Expose environmental harm

Tasmanian Inquirer investigation reveals salmon farms are killing seabirds

An investigation by the Tasmanian Inquirer revealed that dozens of seabirds had been killed by a salmon company, with approval from the Tasmanian government, following their entanglement in substandard netting. The story, which was supported by a LINA microgrant (LINK) was then picked up by other publications and later raised by an MP in the Tasmanian State Parliament. 

A 2024 Monash University study found that people who believed “climate change conspiracy” got most of their information about news and current events from commercial and social media, as opposed to independent news sources.

Creates jobs and nurtures the next generation of journalists

The Westsider’s 2024 local election coverage

A LINA microgrant supported the creation of a 12-page local election special profiling candidates for local government elections in Melbourne’s western suburbs. This project filled a critical information gap in the region and reinforced community trust in local journalism. It also supported the development of future journalists through a partnership with the RMIT Journalism Program, where first-year students conducted interviews and wrote profiles as part of their coursework, gaining valuable hands-on experience. In 2023-24 30% of LINA newsrooms grew their teams by hiring more staff.

“Information is as vital to the healthy functioning of communities as clean air, safe streets, good schools and public health.”

Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, 2009

So, is it working…?

Since LINA’s launch there has been an acceleration in newsroom openings in Australia. 40% of 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.

From July 2023 to July 2024, the following changes were recorded in the sustainability of independent news publishers:

• Income grew by approximately 10.2% on average.
• 53% created a new income stream.
• 45% launched a new service (e.g. added a new masthead, distribution channel etc).
• 70% grew their direct engagement with audiences.
• 30% grew their staff team.
• Reader contributions rose from 8% in 2023 to 45% in 2024, potentially attributable to LINA’s Our News, Your Voice campaign/upskilling program.
• 53% gave back to their community.

Net newsroom contractions (closures) in Australia: