Online debates are heating up over allegations that the federal government is using taxpayer funds to ensure favorable media coverage, raising concerns about the independence of the press.
Established last November, the Journalism Assistance Fund (JAF) is a $67.6 million initiative by the federal government. It supports over 2,000 journalists by subsidizing wages at 185 news outlets across Australia.
Critics, such as News24 commentator Andrew Bolt, argue that this scheme might sway media perspectives and influence how government-related stories are reported.
In contrast, the government defends the initiative, stating that it aims to bolster public-interest journalism, enhance media diversity, and assist newsrooms in adapting to changes within the media landscape.
But what exactly is the JAF? Who benefits from it, and do the concerns raised hold any merit?
What is the Journalism Assistance Fund?
The JAF is a key part of the federal government’s broader News Media Assistance Program, announced in 2024 and designed to support public-interest journalism and media diversity.
It provides grants to eligible Australian organisations that publish digital “core news content” that reports, investigates or explains issues relevant to informing democratic decision-making or current events of public significance.
Lifestyle, entertainment, celebrity, real estate and sponsored content are excluded, as are opinion and editorial pieces.
The grants subsidise part of the cost of employing full-time journalists, providing up to $13,000 per journalist each year, or $39,000 over the three-year life of the program.
According to the funding guidelines, the program aims to support Australian news publishers and the continued employment of journalists producing public-interest journalism.
The government says the scheme was in response to years of financial pressure on the news industry, as publishers face declining advertising revenue, newsroom closures and increasing competition from digital platforms such as Alphabet and Meta.
In a speech last week, Communications Minister Anika Wells said the fund was about sustaining public-interest journalism across Australia and rejected suggestions it could influence editorial decisions.
“This support is not conditional on what stories are written, and anything to the contrary is an insult to Australian journalists. Our media sector is strong and mature and I know they do and will continue to hold people to account, including those in government,” she said.
The funding guidelines do not require outlets to acknowledge receipt of program funding, but state that, if an acknowledgement is included, it should state that the funding “does not influence the production of specific content”.
Only Australian-owned or controlled news organisations meeting the eligibility criteria could apply.
Applications were assessed on a first-come, first-served basis, with the program closing less than a month after the available funding was exhausted.
In total, 185 Australian news publishers received funding, including 93 regional publishers, 23 culturally and linguistically diverse publishers, 22 suburban publishers and two First Nations publishers.
Who received the funding?
The largest grants went to Australia’s major commercial media companies.
Nine was the largest beneficiary, receiving $16.1 million across two grants.
The largest individual grant ($8.16 million) went to Fairfax Media Limited, which publishes The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review. Nine acquired Fairfax in 2018, but the grant was listed under Fairfax Media Limited.
Nine Entertainment, which includes the company’s television network, received a further $7.96 million.
Seven West Media was given a total of $11.33 million, with its television network receiving $5.6 million.
However, many independent and regional publishers also received funding.
SA Today, which owns regional South Australian newspapers, received $2.7 million.
Regional Publishers, which owns The Courier in Ballarat, received $2.28 million. The Conversation received $1.03 million, while dozens of smaller regional and community news organisations also received grants.
Foreign-owned publishers, including News Corp and The Guardian Australia, were ineligible under the scheme. The ABC and SBS were also excluded because they already receive public funding.
The full list of organisations that received funding, along with the amounts, is publicly available on GrantConnect.
Why has the fund become controversial?
One News Nation, which describes itself as an independent “centre-right” news outlet, appeared to be the first to report the full list of recipients last week.
According to an ABC News Verify investigation, the outlet publishes pro-One Nation content and its social media page recently rebranded from the “One Nation Supporters Network”, though it denies it is affiliated with the party.
In social media posts, the outlet accused the government of “quietly paying journalist wages” and claimed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was deciding “who counts as news”.
The posts received thousands of likes, with many comments accusing the government of “bribing” the media for favourable coverage.
Bolt also criticised the program, saying funded organisations should disclose the government support.
“I’m not saying all these journalists toe the Labor line as a result of the money, but shouldn’t they at least declare this government money at the bottom of every one of their articles?” he asked.
He added: “I think it’s a corrupting influence because it makes journalists and media outlets look to the government and not want to offend the government.”
In a separate News24 segment, Rita Panahi claimed the funds were mostly flowing to left-wing media outlets.
Does government funding influence journalism?
Media experts say the central question is whether funding journalism is different from funding editorial content.
Joanne Gray, chair of discipline, media and communications at the University of Sydney, said she thought it was unlikely the recipients were coming under political influence of the government, and there has been no evidence that recipients have altered their editorial coverage because of the grants.
“Governments often fund news and journalism through various models, and it’s common throughout the world, and it’s common in Australia,” she told SBS News.
“As long as the funds are transparent and people are adhering to journalistic standards, and they’re reviewing it, I don’t see funds having or causing a problem of bias or being politicised or being misused for political reasons.”
Matthew Ricketson, a communications professor at Deakin University, said he believed criticisms that the funds could influence editorial content were a “half-truth”.
“If government is funding the media, there are certainly things to look out for and be wary of,” he said.
But he said publicly funded broadcasters such as the ABC and SBS had maintained their independence.
“I’d add that newspapers, whether online or historically in print, have received government advertising for well over 100 years,” he told SBS News.
“Nobody seriously has argued that has unduly influenced those newspapers to write positive things about governments when they didn’t want to.”
A spokesperson from the Department of Communications said the federal government believed “a strong, sustainable and diverse news sector is a critical element of a healthy democracy — supporting an informed citizenry and social cohesion”.
“As part of the News Media Assistance Program, the Journalism Assistance Fund supports news organisations to keep journalists employed and produce public interest news that informs Australians,” the spokesperson said.
“As with all Government grant processes, funding was awarded following assessment against eligibility criteria stated in the Grant Guidelines available at business.gov.au.
“The grant was open to all Australian-based news organisations that produce core news content that is digitally distributed.”