This is the news the Sunshine Coast has been waiting for.
The region is welcoming its first major FREE and independent digital news website: sunshinecoastnews.com.au
It represents a vital investment in independent journalism at a time when the big media corporations are turning their backs on our community.
A unique, homegrown digital news platform, it will deliver the stories that matter most to our 330,000-strong population, which is predicted to hit 500,000 by 2041.
Our experienced reporters will inform, connect and celebrate the region, providing high-quality news, sport and lifestyle coverage, all produced daily.
Sunshine Coast News will also provide the top state, national and world stories of the day.
The site will feature amazing pictures and offer local organisations, businesses, sporting clubs, schools and special interest groups the chance to share their successes with our community (contact:news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au).
You can also look forward to compelling, entertaining and insightful columns from a range of writers and experts in their fields.
These include respected writer and University of Sunshine Coast journalism lecturer, Jane Stephens (pictured below), who many will know as Jane Fynes-Clinton, her former name under which she wrote for Queensland’s biggest newspapers.
Sunshine Coast News also will feature columns from well-known and lovable locals Ashley Robinson and Sami Muirhead, as well as experts on property, money, education and health and wellbeing.
The new site is brought to you by a 100% local media business that publishes the popular weekly lifestyle publication My Weekly Preview, as well as Salt magazine and Plus 55 favourite, Your Time.
Managing director Darryl Olson said that Sunshine Coast News would fill a local news void in the region.
Mr Olson said the launch of the vital digital offering would reverse a trend in regional Australia and foster quality journalism.
“We have an amazing team, which we plan to expand. We want to be able to offer career paths for journalism students, including those from University of the Sunshine Coast, and have them covering news and events in their own region alongside some of Queensland’s most talented journalists,’’ he said.
Mr Olson said the start-up was partly funded by a grant from the Morrison Government via the Public Interest News Gathering (PING) program, which was providing much-needed support to regional media during COVID-19.
Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace said that the funding would help bring more local news to people on the Coast.
“We need more public interest journalism on the Sunshine Coast, not less,” Mr Wallace said.
“It is fantastic to see local media companies like My Weekly Preview stepping up to make sure that Sunshine Coast locals can stay up to date with what is going on in their community and get access to all the information they need.”
Federal Minister for Communications, Paul Fletcher said the PING grant was aimed at delivering quality news to the community.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson welcomed the new digital news platform, which would provide daily, immediate access to local news to readers at no cost.
“The opportunity to keep our residents informed about what is happening in their local community and the importance of providing balanced reporting are intrinsic elements of what constitutes the essential role of the media – and I hope that this will be strongly reflected in this new platform,’’ Mayor Jamieson (pictured) said.
“There has never been a more important time for regional areas to be able to access a diversity of media reporting and to be able to do so with ease. So, I welcome the addition of this platform to the media landscape on our Sunshine Coast,’’ he said.
Mayor Jamieson said sharing stories about our people in our region in a fair and balanced manner is what our residents wanted to experience.
“May I wish you every success in reporting on and contributing to the continuing progress and successes of our Sunshine Coast,’’ he said.
Multi-award-winning journalist Peter Hall has been appointed Editor of sunshinecoastnews.com.au.
Mr Hall has held key roles, including Sunshine Coast Bureau Chief for The Courier-Mail and Assistant Editor and Chief Sub-Editor of The Sunday Mail. Before this, he was Chief-of-Staff at the Sunshine Coast Daily.
A formidable editorial campaigner, he won Queensland Clarion Awards for journalism excellence in 2018 and 2019, a News Media Award (incorporating Australia, NZ and the Asia Pacific) in 2018 and the Peter Charlton Award for Reporter of the Year at The Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail.
Sunshinecoastnews.com.au’s mission is to fairly, accurately and respectfully reflect life in our great region.
The site will focus on the issues that really matter, from how we will accommodate a surging population, create jobs, help businesses flourish, support education, boost health and wellbeing and protect our wonderful environment and lifestyle.
We will honour our past and advocate a brighter future.
Sunshinenews.com.au will highlight the inspirational figures in our midst, including those who safeguard our beaches, protect us from fires, nurture young sportspeople and help those in need.
We will be there for you, delivering YOUR news each day.
To survive and thrive we need you to register – which will be FREE and easy. By simply adding your name and email (see subscribe tab on home page) you will help shape the future of FREE news on the Coast.
We also need you to tell your family and friends to subscribe, too, so they can receive our daily sunshinecoastnews.com.au bulletins direct to their inboxes.
Having your own FREE news website is the best news you’ll get all day.
