Journalist and editor Harry Clarke (Bachelor of Journalism '13) reflects on founding a successful online news service for rural Queensland.
After an early career in print and television news media, I made the difficult decision in mid-2020 to leave my secure employment with a major network and return to my home town of Chinchilla to explore other opportunities.
Previously, my dream had been to move abroad to London and work as a freelancer in the cut-throat world of the Fleet Street press.
Working in the vibrant UK media is a rite of passage that a lot of young journalists embrace, but when the pandemic came around and international borders closed, that plan was dead in the water.
Chinchilla is a long way from Earl's Court – and a long way from the Channel Nine newsroom on Mount Coot-tha, for that matter. For a long time, towns like Chinchilla have not been places experienced journalists would consider moving to in order to progress their careers.
The decline of traditional news, especially in rural and regional towns, is widely lamented in the media industry.
But, while a lot of country newspapers are folding and newsroom staff are being culled because of shrinking audiences and decreasing advertising revenue, there have also been a lot of interesting entrepreneurial efforts in small-town media.
In some cases, newspapers are being revived and turning a profit. In other cases, websites are starting up and building notable followings.
Communities are also turning to social media to share information that’s important to them, their families and their neighbours.
It appeared to me that while traditional companies were facing challenges to keep up with drastic changes in the ability to deliver and monetise journalism, audiences were still demanding local news as much as ever.
The decline of traditional news, especially in rural and regional towns, is widely lamented in the media industry.
But, while a lot of country newspapers are folding and newsroom staff are being culled because of shrinking audiences and decreasing advertising revenue, there have also been a lot of interesting entrepreneurial efforts in small-town media.
In some cases, newspapers are being revived and turning a profit. In other cases, websites are starting up and building notable followings.
Communities are also turning to social media to share information that’s important to them, their families and their neighbours.
It appeared to me that while traditional companies were facing challenges to keep up with drastic changes in the ability to deliver and monetise journalism, audiences were still demanding local news as much as ever.
The decline of traditional news, especially in rural and regional towns, is widely lamented in the media industry.
But, while a lot of country newspapers are folding and newsroom staff are being culled because of shrinking audiences and decreasing advertising revenue, there have also been a lot of interesting entrepreneurial efforts in small-town media.
In some cases, newspapers are being revived and turning a profit. In other cases, websites are starting up and building notable followings.
Communities are also turning to social media to share information that’s important to them, their families and their neighbours.
It appeared to me that while traditional companies were facing challenges to keep up with drastic changes in the ability to deliver and monetise journalism, audiences were still demanding local news as much as ever.
