How do you find the time… to do more than a basic news reporting job? One source is a system of LINA-administered ‘microgrants’ designed to help local newsrooms grow their capability.

This investigation by independent local InTheCove (above) – which looked into widespread property damage linked to telecommunications works in Sydney’s Lane Cove – was shortlisted for a 2025 Walkley Award.

Nell O’Shea Carre at LINA – Australia’s Local and Independent News Association – urged publishers with a news idea to get in touch, as programme funds are nearly exhausted.

The scheme supports journalism that is investigative, solutions-oriented, features court reporting and/or focusses on the machinery of government, which she says, “often requires a higher level of resourcing than other forms of journalism, including a larger investment of time for researching and verification”.

The grant opportunity draws on funds provided by the federal government to help newsrooms pursue specific stories that are unlikely to be covered in other media.

While continuing its push for inclusion in the government’s News Bargaining Incentive, LINA has just raised $66,000 for newsrooms as a result of its annual ‘Our News, Your Voice’ campaign, including $10,000 in matched funding support. “The campaign also helped grow ongoing community backing for local news, with new recurring donors signing up to support the publishers,” she says.

Over the last three years, the campaign has raised more than $630,000 in one-off and recurring reader contributions, supporting 59 newsrooms.