$10m government boost for ABC News

The ABC have received a one-off $10 million payment to help them restructure ABC News.

In a speech made to staff today, the ABC’s News Director, Kate Torney, said there was "No better place to be if you're a journalist than the ABC" and that she was in a “rare and privileged position to be talking about recruiting more journalists".

Key senior appointments have been made across ABC radio, TV and digital platforms.

The extra cash will also "increase the ABC's ability to deliver stronger coverage of local issues and better represent regional Australia," says Torney.

She also said:

“Over the past 12 months, we have focussed on further building an efficient and agile news operation, by introducing new ways of commissioning and producing content for all platforms and all audiences. Today’s senior appointments are part of that process and the provision of additional funding is a welcome opportunity to build on this recent work.”

ABC’s Managing Director Mark Scott said:

“I am delighted that we will recruit more journalists to deliver more in-depth quality reporting on the stories and issues that matter to all Australians.

The ABC’s News team will focus on increasing the ABC’s original local content, acknowledging that in a fragmented market audiences want information from a trusted independent source that is available to all sections of the community”

Read more in The Australian here.