Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is a unique and extraordinary eco-system that is currently under threat. Stretching 2,300 kilometres along our northeast coast, it’s home to over 2,500 individual reefs.

From the tiniest of polyps that grow over time into soft and hard coral, through to its vast underwater forests that provide home to millions of fish, every part of this complex eco-system has a role to play in its long-term health.

The smallest of changes in any corner can have far-reaching impacts. There are new predators, rapid currents, and changing environments that threaten its future, and it’s very important that we protect all of it.

Australia’s Great Media Reef is a unique and extraordinary eco-system that is also currently under threat. Stretching all around our country, it’s home to thousands of individual media companies.

From the tiniest of publishers that grow over time into soft and hard news providers, through to its vast organisations that provide content to millions of people, every part of this complex eco-system has a role to play in its long-term health.

The smallest of changes in any corner can have far-reaching impacts. There are new predators, rapid currents, and changing environments that threaten its future, and it’s very important that we protect all of it.

I’m going to talk about some of the big threats to Australia’s media industry, and some of the big ideas to solve them.

I began my writing career in independent media over two and a half decades ago, working for a free street press publication in Sydney where I learned all about writing fast copy for weekly deadlines, how to ask interesting questions and the art of grabbing a reader’s attention. I honed these skills at places like Rolling Stone before co-founding my first media title with some friends when I was in my mid 20s. Over 15 years this evolved into Junkee Media, an independent publisher with around 65 staff members at its peak that helped explain the world around us– from news and politics to music and pop culture – before my business partners and I sold the business in 2016.

It certainly didn’t feel like we were part of any great media eco-system as we were scaling our independent media company. We were a tiny part of a niche section of the landscape, but what we did have were the ingredients of any small business success story: scrappiness, agility, hard work and a lot of luck.

Over the last decade, I’ve had the added perspective of being able to work on the industry instead of in it. I am now the proud chair of the Digital Publishers Alliance, the peak industry body representing over 150 media titles from leading independent digital publishers.

We came together as a group of 20 founding members about five years ago, all drawn to connect, support and protect each other with the belief that we have a better chance of success when we act collectively. Despite being a broad church all catering to unique audiences in different ways, our work together has only highlighted that we are all in the same ocean, and it’s rapidly changing around us.

So let me give you a brief rundown of Australia’s Great Media Reef.

The smallest organisms are individual creators, a group that’s grown impressively in size and influence over the last 18 months. Former mainstream journalists, social media creators, smart communicators and opinionated voices are well placed to grab attention in a new media environment fuelled by direct access to readers through newsletters, podcasts, social media and events. In fact, it’s such an emerging space that we haven’t even settled on exactly what to call this new breed of creator journalists, but we do know this: there is a big and growing audience for what they have to say.

The University of Canberra’s latest Digital News Report, released just a few weeks ago, showed that four in ten Australian news consumers access news from individual creators or influencers, rising to almost three-quarters of under 35 year-olds. They want to stay informed in entertaining, relatable and easy-to-understand ways, and many of these creators might be small for now, but they are mighty in their reach.

Next up are one and few-person newsrooms, dotted all around the country, in particular in regional locations where they serve hyper local, highly targeted audiences with important information about their regions. These small newsrooms work diligently to keep their audiences informed and the lights on at the same time. Their purpose is to serve their communities, but they are limited by resourcing, channel and audiences. The Local and Independent News Association is one such integral group that’s sprung up in recent years to ensure this important part of the eco-system remains healthy and viable for years to come.

Then we have small to medium-sized independent publishers, the corner of the Reef where I’ve spent my career. Ranging from a few to over a hundred staff members, independent publishers are small enough to chase new opportunities fast but also large enough to be sustainable, and have serious and deep relationships with their audiences.

Let me give you some examples of some brilliant Australian independent publishers:

Mamamia. Australia’s largest independent publisher was founded almost 20 years ago and now has 150 staff reaching 7.5M women – and men – a month.

The Squiz. A newsletter and podcast company that helps busy people stay on top of the news. They were the first to publish a daily morning short-form news podcast in Australia back in 2018.

The Daily Aus. Australia’s leading youth news platform who are the primary news source for 70% of their audience, delivering 40 million monthly content impressions while maintaining a 96% trust rating among the 18-35-year-olds who read them.

Broadsheet. The leading culture platform in the country, covering food, fashion, travel and the arts. Founded 17 years ago, and employing more than 70 people, it helps audiences understand and participate in the cultural life of their communities and cities.

The Conversation. A not-for-profit publisher that delivers research-based news, analysis and commentary written by academics and edited by journalists, aimed at making expert knowledge accessible to the public.

Star Observer. A newspaper and online news outlet that has been setting Australia’s queer community agenda since 1979.

Man of Many. Australia’s largest independent men’s lifestyle publisher. This year they published the Male Confidence Index, a research report countering manosphere content by looking at the real issues facing Australian men.

Neos Kosmos. The leading Greek community newspaper and digital outlet in Australia, published since 1957, that provides Greek and English-language news for Greek Australians – helping to show that a multicultural society will always be better than a monocultural one.

Then there’s Region Media, Urban List, HerCanberra, Agenda Media, Shameless, Equity Mates and….well I could stand here all day to give you examples of amazing independent publishers and their contributions to keeping us informed, entertained and educated.

The diversity and strength of independent media is a sign of a healthy democracy. It is where many journalists begin their careers, providing a valuable training ground for the entire industry.

Next up in eco-system are mid-sized publishers, like........

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