Australian Community Media (ACM) has decided to stop publishing several community newspapers in NSW, citing social media giant Meta’s withdrawal of funding for Australian news providers and the disappearance of state and federal government advertising in regional newspapers as reasons for its move.  

Moree Champion, Tenterfield Star, The Inverell Times, Country Leader, Glen Innes Examiner, Dungog Chronicle, Gloucester Advocate and the Milton-Ulladulla Times will discontinue their weekly printed editions from this month.

However, the websites of these mastheads will be retained.

Statements were published on the eight mastheads’ websites, quoting ACM managing director Tony Kendall, who said the decision to cease the publication of these newspapers was a difficult decision as these mastheads have had long and proud histories.

Here’s what was published on the Milton-Ulladulla Times’ website.

“Every title in the ACM portfolio has been affected by Meta’s decision to withdraw its funding for the trusted local news that Australian social media users rightly expect to see in their feeds,” he said.

“Our newspapers also face reduced revenue from display advertising, including from state and federal governments, classifieds and print circulation. Against this, inflation is driving significant cost increases across the board. Production and distribution costs are particularly challenging.

“Without governments restoring a fair share of their advertising budgets to regional newspapers – the elegant solution our industry has been calling for – we must make prudent decisions that support the continued sustainability of our local journalism and the digital future of our business.”

The article also mentioned that consultation with affected staff has commenced, with editorial and sales redundancies expected if redeployment opportunities cannot be identified.

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