NEWS has never been so accessible and maybe never so debated.
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Australian Community Media mastheads have been serving communities across Victoria for more than 150 years.
This year The Courier celebrates 150 years reporting on the Ballarat region and the Ararat Advertiser is remembering 160 years since its establishment.
The communities we serve are big and small, rich and poor. Well informed and yes sometimes, even ill-informed.
It’s our job to cut through the noise and provide content which is accurate and informative. The fact that readers will debate all aspects of what they are served only helps to shape our products.
Up until the 2000s, the only way we provided news was by a regular printed newspaper.
These days, our products include papers, websites, mobile device apps, email newsletters, electronic editions and many forms of social media.
As the world has changed, so have we.
The way we provide our services has changed because the habits of consumers have evolved. In recent years, the speed of this change has been supersonic.
What we expect of reporters now is much different to that of even 10 years ago. Modern reporters are now skilled storytellers with visual content such as video and graphics.
They use mobile phones to gather content and use social media to test it.
Our editors spend as much time assessing online commentary as they do handwritten notes.
They encourage “live” reporting, once only the domain of TV networks and radio stations and they connect with readers through polls and surveys within hours rather than weeks.
Our sales represents don’t just offer to sell space online or print, they sell suites of products which make advertisers competitive in those spaces.
Virtual reality and voice command devices are the latest ideas likely to become the next gadgets or choice for communication and media consumption.
The one constant is that the our readers hold us to the highest account of moral, ethical and accurate approaches to our duties.
Amid so many choices, readers and advertisers are moving to those who they can trust.
The leaders we employ carry this responsibility in the decisions they make each and every day.
Whatever the changes in our industry or technology, our commitment remains to serve readers with the news and information which is responsible and relevant.
We want to hear from you about how we are fulfilling this duty by contacting us to give us feedback.