The Senate will hold an inquiry into the future of journalism and the rise of “fake news” in response to job losses in the Australian media.
The inquiry, pursued by Labor, with the support of the Greens, Nick Xenophon and Jacqui Lambie, follows a strike over the past week by Fairfax Media journalists after the company announced a fresh round of job cuts.
The inquiry is expected to call editors and chief executives of all the major media companies, including the Fairfax chief, Greg Hywood, to answer questions about their commercial strategies, and to examine options for supporting public interest journalism.
There is increasing alarm in political circles about the transition in the industry, which has undergone a steady contraction in the number of working journalists, including the latest Fairfax cut of 125 editorial staff.
The journalists’ union, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, estimates that a quarter of Australia’s journalism jobs have been lost since 2011, as media companies have made the transition from print to digital.
Fairfax staff returned to work on Wednesday morning after a seven-day strike.
The government is currently attempting to persuade the Senate to pass changes that would deregulate media ownership restrictions, enabling further concentration.
Australia already has one of the most concentrated media markets in the developed world.
Labor has so far opposed the abolition of the two-out-of-three rule that prevents a company controlling more than two of the mainstream media outlets – radio stations, TV channels and newspapers – in a single market.
The Greens and One Nation have both expressed concerns about relaxation of ownership rules.
Xenophon has signalled he might support the changes on the basis the government imposes restrictions on gambling ads. Xenophon is open to changes to ownership rules.
