Government commits $5m to support AAP, upping value of Public Interest News Gathering program to $55m

September 18, 2020 2:10

The government has committed $5m in support for Australian Associated Press (AAP) under the Public Interest News Gathering (PING) program, just a week after AAP began a crowdfunding campaign with a $500,000 target.

The Go Fund Me campaign has so far raised almost $120,000 from 1,500 donors, after new chief executive Emma Cowdroy flagged the newswire’s intention to “try many things to get us through this tumultuous time”.

Cowdroy pointed to former part-owner News Corp’s competitor newswire, which is a “well-funded move [that] threatens AAP’s unique role, supplying independent content”. Supporting AAP is crucial to “protect an essential building block of media diversity”, the chief executive urged.

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Brittney Rigby

Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.