This report finds that the rapid increase in news consumption by Australians at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has not been maintained. The proportion of people paying for news has not increased, and interest in news has declined since 2020.

This report provides new consumer research on users’ experience of disinformation and misinformation on digital platforms and our assessment of the industry’s code. It also provides a range of findings and a number of recommendations for consideration by the government.

Online misinformation is an extremely complex and multilayered problem that defies simple, one-size fits all solutions. This policy brief argues that effective mitigation can only be achieved through multi-pronged strategies involving collaboration and cooperation between governments, policy-makers, digital platforms and community-based organisations.

Preserving democratic values and reinforcing trust in public institutions relies on having well-informed citizens. This paper argues that students must develop autonomous and advanced reading skills, that include the ability to navigate ambiguity, and triangulate and validate viewpoints.

This code of practice has been developed by the Digital Industry Group Inc. (DIGI), a non-profit industry association that advocates for the interests of the digital industry in Australia. DIGI members include Google, Facebook, Twitter and eBay. It is a response to a request from government that major digital platforms develop a voluntary code of...