The Digital News Report Australia, which is part of an international survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, also found that news brands are far more important to consumers than individual journalists, with 43% saying they pay more attention. in the media. . Of the people who pay attention to individuals, the most recallable reporter is the chief political correspondent for 7.30, Laura Tingle, who was named by 10% of all respondents. Also on the list are Seven’s David Koch, Sky News’ Peta Credlin, Andrew Bolt and Paul Murray, ABC’s Leigh Sales and Guardian Australia’s Kathryn Murphy. Researchers at the University of Canberra News and Media Research Center asked respondents if journalists should be left to report only on the news. More than half (52%) said they should stick to the news report. One third said journalists should be able to express their personal views on social media and 14% did not know. The younger the respondent, the more likely he or she was to approve journalists making personal comments on social media. The new question in the annual survey was triggered by ABC’s crackdown on social media staff. Weekend Breakfast co-host Fauziah Ibrahim recently returned to the show after several weeks off the show, while ABC looked at her social media activity, which included lists on Twitter titled “Labor Trolls / Thugs and Lobotomised Shitheads.” Sign up to receive top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Led by the center’s research professor Sora Park, the report contains some positive signs for the Australian news industry, including an increase in the number of people paying for news. The team surveyed more than 2,038 Australian news consumers and found that 18% now pay for news, five points higher than last year and now above the global average of 17%. “This year ‘s data reveals many promising signs that digital news subscriptions are gradually increasing and Australians may become accustomed to subscribing to digital news content after a long period of stagnation,” Park said. However, while subscriptions are high, confidence in the media is down to 41% overall (down two points from last year). “Many Australians do not believe that the media is independent or that they put society above everything else,” Park said. “And these perceptions are associated with a deep cynicism and distrust of the news.” Former ABC News chief Gaven Morris, now managing director of digital consulting firm Bastion Transform, analyzed the report and said the public “seems to be saying it’s feeling tired on social media”. “In my time on ABC News, I used to think that Twitter was often a great internal messaging tool, but it did not gain us additional viewers or listeners,” Morris wrote. “Whereas when ABC journalists were encouraged to create their own social profiles, they are now explicitly told that they are not required to be on the platforms for their work. “In the digital age, it is refreshing to recall that journalism in the public interest ranks well above the journalists who build their personal brand.”
