The national news agency Austria Presse Agentur (APA) remains an important source in the day-to-day business of journalism. It is jointly owned by twelve Austrian newspaper publishers and the public service broadcaster ORF(APA, 2020). Ten years ago, ownership was slightly wider, with 15 newspapers and ORF. While all daily newspaper publishers are trustees of APA – with the notable exception of Kronenzeitung – its operations have diversified beyond news business in recent years.
Most interviewees in the journalistic sphere acknowledged the importance of news agencies in their working processes, where different news agencies (APA, dpa, Reuters, etc.) are integral. Nevertheless, to some respondents, news agencies were seen as diminishing in importance in their personal work and used as secondary sources, rather than backbone or priority sources. Nonetheless, some smaller online media used news agencies as main sources, thereby increasing the agencies’ visibility.
Concerning public relations material, respondents unanimously rejected any significant influence of it on their routine work. The amount of such material, they said, is increasing, but only a small proportion found its way into actual coverage. However, in rare cases, such materials have triggered further investigations by journalists.
Content exchange with partners and other forms of media was reported as an exception, rather than the rule, for leading Austrian news media. Although international journalism networks have been established over the past years (such as the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists[i]), and some newspapers and ORF occasionally collaborated with other forms of media, such exchanges were of minor importance. It occasionally crystallised around larger investigative stories, such as that of the Panama papers. The public broadcaster ORF typically participates in a network organised by the European Broadcasting Union, often with partner broadcasters from Scandinavia. Nonetheless, compared with 2009, reservations against cooperation with competing or neighbouring media appeared to be dissipated. While such cooperation has levelling effects for the audience when national media are involved, it may increase diversity of sources when international networks are established.
[i] https://www.icij.org
