Will the Moruya Examiner ever return

Media company ACM that publishes the Bay Post and Narooma News say that they will be resuming the publishing a number of local newspapers across the country from next week, a year after the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic forced the suspension of printing. ACM advises that the Armidale Express, Goondiwindi Argus and Dungog Chronicle are among a number of local newspapers that ACM is bringing back in print 12 months after printing was suspended at the height of the pandemic.

Above: Where is the Moruya Examiner? Will it be returning? The Armidale Express, Goondiwindi Argus and Dungog Chronicle are among a number of local newspapers that ACM is bringing back in print 12 months after printing was suspended at the height of the pandemic. Image: Voice of Real Australia Newsletter There is however, no mention at all of the Moruya Examiner returning. Moruya residents were surprised to find that their local paper of 150 years simply disappeared overnight with no notice given or any explanation. One day it was there and the next it was gone. This coincided with ACM rationalising their printing of papers and closing down their Canberra presses. The next the community knew was that there was now a combined masthead of the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner with Moruya locals saying the new combined paper rarely had Moruya news and simply paid lipservice to Moruya based advertisers.

July 1st, 2019 marked Day One for the old Fairfax mastheads of the Bay Post, Moruya Examiner and Narooma News as they officially came under new ownership joined by the 170 or so Australian Community Media (ACM) titles that were sold off by 9NINE to former Fairfax executive Antony Catalano and ASX-listed Thorney Investment Group for $115 million. Over the following months we witnessed changes to these three mastheads that saw a 'cloning' of the papers and their websites to carry the same story or editorial across the region resulting in what many consider to be a dilution of local news. Traditional readers of the Narooma News and Moruya Examiner began to complain of the predominance of Batemans Bay news in their paper and remembered fondly when they had their own local editors who bought to the town its very own local news, delivered with a distinctly local flavour. It was also often observed that the old mastheads had merged into one paper and that the printed papers that were once 20 to 30 pages appear to function solely as a delivery device for inserts and catalogues. The mastheads also received a considerable backlash for having "sold their soul" and integrity to wrap-around front pages advertising, offered to the highest bidder. The election cover was a straw that many in the community were disgusted with.

Above: This front cover was NOT news. In fact it was a four page wrap around advertisement for the Liberal Party. Note the date is May 17th 2019. The 2019 Australian federal election was held on Saturday 18 May 2019. ACM continue to sell their front pages to the highest bidder. The lead-up edition of the Bay Post to the last Federal Election that saw its mocked up front page (above), delivered to newsstands as 'headline', bought outrage to many readers who believe that while it might have been "business" it crossed the line of their expectations their local masthead. In June 2020 the Morrison Government’s $50m Public Interest News Gathering (PING) Program was delivered to 107 regional publishers and broadcasters to support news services operating in rural and regional areas in 2020-21. ACM received $10.4 million of the $50 million fund, which was specifically designed to "help newsrooms continue to tell the stories of their communities despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic". Successful applicants were required to put the funds to good use to "support a broad range of activities such as staff wages, training and technology upgrades that will allow them to keep delivering news that local communities need and want". For whatever reason it appears that the Bay Post /Moruya Examiner along with the Narooma News missed out as we see their Wednesday editions dwindle to a scant 16 pages of out of date articles. Should the Moruya Examiner ever return there is little hope that it will be the newspaper it once was.