This study examines how and where Australians are getting information about COVID-19, which sources they find trustworthy and their experiences with misinformation. The report extends the understanding around the access, consumption and critical engagement with news and misinformation during the ongoing global pandemic.

Throughout this inquiry, the Committee heard significant evidence that Australia’s system of media regulation is not effective, citing the weakness of its mechanisms, its inconsistent governance arrangements and standards across platforms, and the lack of oversight for digital media.

The Public Interest Journalism Initiative is collecting information about print and digital local news producers from all around Australia. This map of local news producers is intended to help communities, researchers and policymakers see where local news is flourishing, and where it might be struggling.

This report explores the role of female voices in Australian news, those quoted in news stories, and those who wrote the stories. The 2021 report combines quantitative and qualitative analysis of more than 60,000 articles across the month of May 2021, plus in-depth interviews with leading figures in the media landscape.

The findings in this report demonstrate that if we accept that media is integral to all aspects of our lives, far more needs to be done to address the needs of groups who are the least confident about their media abilities and who have access to the least support. This research also show that increasing...