How different is 'different'? Australian country newspapers and development journalism

Australian country newspapers demonstrate a focus on their local community or communities which appears to be much stronger than that of their metropolitan counterparts. This focus is generally reflected in an emphasis on local news and the promotion of local concerns, individuals and achievements. The limited literature on country newspapers suggests this emphasis has contributed to country print journalism developing in directions significantly removed from those of contemporary urban journalism. This paper argues that while country newspaper journalism incorporates elements of conventional journalism, it has also evolved in ways which appear to have more in common with non-Western forms of journalism than with the journalism practised in major Australian cities.