News publishers Nine and News Corp have been given $150,000 to increase coverage of the arts in Australia.
The Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas and copyright collecting body the Copyright Agency announced the funding for reviews and criticism in The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WA Today.
The grant and investment by Nine will deliver 100 reviews across both The SMH and The Age and feature books, plays and the visual arts.
The mastheads will soon begin a search for critics-in-residence for books, visual arts and theatre.
The Australian newspaper will support a weekly column by award-winning poet, editor, critic and academic Sarah Holland-Batt, who will review new books and cover key issues within the writing sector.
“Our job is to support Australian creativity by ensuring that the rights of publishers, writers and visual artists are respected and that they receive fair payment for use of their work,” says Adam Suckling, CEO of the Copyright Agency and a former News Corp executive.
“We are also delighted to work with News Corp and Nine on this initiative. Their publications provide readers with strong national coverage of the arts, which they will build on further with this joint investment in quality arts review and criticism.”
Mark Ryan, executive director at the Judith Neilson Institute: “Coverage of Australia’s arts scene is important, and our support will generate more reviews and criticism, not just for Melbourne and Sydney audiences, but across the country. It will also allow these mastheads to hire new critics, which is good news for arts journalists.”
Copyright Agency supports r organisations and publications covering books, writing and journalism including The Guardian Australia, Australian Book Review, Island, Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings, Griffith Review and programs run by the Walkley Foundation.
(DISCLOSURE: Chris Pash is a former director of the Copyright Agency. He is also a director of the Australian Society of Authors which receives some funding from the Copyright Agency.)
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