In the COVID pandemic we saw an amazing variety of activities described as essential, why not the Mercury newspaper? It is after all regarded in Tasmania as a newspaper of record.

All levels of government need the Mercury to do their job. Tasmanian law often specifies the use of newspapers for public announcements – sometimes daily newspapers circulating in the area, region or municipality, sometimes local newspapers circulating in the region, locality or municipality, sometimes newspapers circulating in Tasmania, sometimes any newspaper.

And we the public need it. Even if we personally don’t subscribe, we all benefit from journalism of local and state government matters that Mercury journalists do – investigative or otherwise. We may use national and international sources for our news but they are unlikely to take any interest in “our” news.

Circulation of the printed Mercury had been steadily decreasing until 2018 when News Corp, its owner, stopped participating in the Audited Media Association of Australia. It’s probably fair to assume the decline has continued without losses fully covered by online subscriptions.

The Mercury is a regional newspaper and is not immune from the same commercial pressures as others interstate. The current pandemic dramatically increases those pressures. We have seen many regional newspapers in Australia shut up shop during the pandemic and many may not revive afterward.

So it is not at all fanciful to ask the question: how would southern Tasmania cope without the Mercury? With great difficulty, I suspect.

While the Tasmanian Government Gazette may suffice for public announcements and notices, no journalism takes place there. Journalism is not part of its purpose. There is no analysis, no explanation, no background.

Southern local free newspapers such as the Eastern Shore Sun, Glenorchy Gazette, Hobart Observer, Tasman Gazette, and Derwent Valley Gazette cannot step into the journalistic breech because they are monthly which is much too infrequent. Most importantly, they are all owned and published by public relations companies (Font PR  and Cor Comms) who presumably see them as a potential tool for their business, and are unlikely to undertake investigations which may scare off those who supply the advertising they need. The Kingborough Chronicle and Huon News are privately owned but are also monthly.

I’ve found only two Tasmanian sites which appear to provide a broad range of news and also claim journalistic expertise – the Tasmanian Times and the Tasmanian Inquirer. Neither appears to have the resources for investigative journalism.

A democracy cannot function well without an informed public. Many of the public have already stopped receiving their news from newspapers.  Despite that, every member of the public who wants to participate in our democracy should be able to be informed without payment. While printed newspapers can be read in libraries (while not closed during a pandemic), more and more news web sites can be read only by subscribers.

There must be no financial impediment to being informed.

This is no trivial matter. Does any level of government in Tasmania have a Plan B if it goes bust? Do we, the public, have a realistic alternative to the Mercury for current information about our community?

PS. dateline July 15, 2020. The company FontPR has added to its stable of regional newspapers by purchasing Tasmanian Country from News Corp. Read a detailed report here.

PPS. dateline September 2, 2025. In the USA many local governments have a list of publications they regard as their “newspapers of note” where they publish public notices. With the demise of many local newspapers there is increasing concern about how to keep the public informed. Read this article to learn more.