The Daily Aus is an online news platform that primarily broadcasts through Instagram. Started by Zara Seidler and Sam Koslowski, the news is aimed to be short, sharp, and concise to avoid the news fatigue that many young people are facing, as reported by the American Psychology Association. The Daily Aus has shared at Sydney Writer’s Festival primary readership is under 35 years of age and gains most of their information through social media such as Instagram and TikTok.
The overwhelming onslaught of information on social media can make it difficult for young people to engage with the news. The American Psychology Association has stated in a 2022 article that “all types of news media consumption increased emotional distress”. This became a particularly noticeable development since the pandemic as it is not just about reading the news but the feeling of hopelessness surrounding the reported events. Charlotte Huff from the American Psychology Association states, “When people feel like there is little they can do, such as when COVID-19 infection-prevention guidance kept shifting in the early months of the pandemic, they can develop a feeling of learned helplessness.”
The Daily Aus has ventured into newsletters, podcasting, and in 2023 published the book ‘No Silly Questions.’ This book explores background information that both readers and journalists need to understand the news but are rarely taught. “Everything from emissions trading and crypto to interest rates and human rights”.
The Daily Aus works to engage young people as it is young people who may be less likely to be reading the news in traditional formats and most regularly engage with video-based platforms such as YouTube and TikTok according to a 2023 Western Sydney University (WSU) Research Report. The report states that one in five young people have a high level of trust in Australian news media organisation. Short form video content may be an afterthought for many news organisations, used mainly for promotional purposes. At the Daily Aus, short-form video content is the main effort and aims to intercept an audience that otherwise would be getting their news from influencers.
65% of young people agree or strongly agree that it is difficult to find news relevant to people their age as found in the same WSU report. “I don’t want anyone going through a media degree to be told that there is no future in journalism” Koslowski stated, sharing their philosophies in the future of journalism. It is important to note that you don’t need to have a degree in journalism to pursue the career path. “At the Sydney Writer’s Festival, Zara Seidler revealed that former reporter Tom Crowley, with qualifications and experience in economics rather than journalism, could explain complex concepts in an easily digestible way. Crowley has since left to continue reporting for the ABC.
With the news industry changing, it is important to understand the media landscape. Whether it is the growing relationships between large news companies and big tech, like the partnership between OpenAI and NewsCorp, or the ongoing risk of Meta removing news accounts from its platforms, something that has already happened in Canada in August of 2023. A critical knowledge of the news and misinformation appears to only be growing in importance. The Daily Aus offers a reporting method that is clear and understandable to most readers, formatted so if you have 30 seconds a day, you can have the knowledge of top headlines across the world.
W’SUP news would like to thank the Sydney Writer’s Festival team for providing the opportunity to attend events media personnel and for hosting such incredible sessions. We hope to continue collaborating in the future and bring these important conversations to Western Sydney University.
