Adelaide Review’s closure shows how local media is hurting

MEAA, the union for Australia’s journalists, says the announcement that the Adelaide Review will close on October 2 indicates just how much local and community media outlets are hurting. The Review has announced that its 488th edition will be its last.

MEAA’s South Australia and Northern Territory regional director Angelique Ivanica said: “The Adelaide Review has been a stalwart of South Australian publishing for almost 37 years. It has shown a fierce determination to be independent, attracting a strong and immensely loyal audience across South Australia. It is a long-loved publication that has buoyed the entire South Australian arts industry and promoted local writing talent. Its demise is representative of the depth of the devastation to our arts community and another blow to diverse media caused by the COVID pandemic.”

Ivanica said: “The closure of so many media outlets, with many never to reopen their doors, will leave local communities without important access to their own news. Right now, we should be encouraging more media voices, not allowing COVID to silence local media.”

MEAA continues to call on federal and state governments to provide urgent assistance so that local, regional and community media outlets can continue to provide their essential service to their communities; and for the Federal and the SA government to recognise the impact the pandemic continues to have on statutory authorities such as the Adelaide Festival Centre.

MEAA will seek more information from the publishers on behalf of the Adelaide Review’s employees and freelance contributors.