Members of Australia’s Local and Independent News Association have been in Murray Bridge, South Australia this week for their three-day annual summit.
The programme has included a day of strategies for growth – including sessions with Blue Engine’s David Grant and Australian WordPress expert Ben May – and a welcome dinner ahead of the two-day summit. The focus was on equipping local newsrooms to tackle key issues including community building and sustainable scaling for small publishers, emerging technologies and storytelling techniques. Among highlights was an address by the Copyright Agency’s Lucinda Gardiner. Members also found time for this group photograph.
LINA executive director Claire Stuchbery said the summit was also a chance for publishers to meet in-person and share advice and insights. “While deeply embedded in their local communities, being an independent news publisher can be a challenging job. Some of our members are the only journalists reporting in their area,” she said.
LINA welcomed its first member newsroom in 2022, and now supports over 170 news publishers across Australia.
Murray Bridge News managing editor Peri Strathearn (pictured top with Claire Stuchbery) said he was excited about hosting a top-level industry gathering in the community, just six years after launching his publication during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pictures, LINA/Jacob Jennings