'Did you see that in the paper?': country newspapers and perceptions of local 'ownership'

Abstract

News media ownership across the globe is becoming increasingly concentrated. Large media companies are taking over other large media companies; smaller, more localised organisations are taking over other local media. This is a global trend, and Australian regional media are not exempt. In recent decades a small number of companies has come to dominate the media landscape in rural and regional areas of Australia. However, despite this expansion, some media remain locally owned, often by family companies with several generations of history of local media ownership. This mix of ownership patterns in Australia's regional areas raises questions about the extent to which ownership matters to country media audiences, and whether it has any influence on audiences' sense of connection with local media outlets. This paper explores perceptions of ownership of four regional non-daily newspapers in Australia from the perspectives of journalists, newspaper managers/ owners and readers. It examines the question of whether - in their views - ownership matters and to what extent readers feel the local newspaper is a part of their community or communities. This idea of connectedness is linked to notions of the newspaper's role in building and sustaining community and in developing social capital.