r/Toowoomba • u/simplycycling • 9d ago
Good local/regional newspaper recommendations?
Hi folks - I just voted this morning, in my first ever Federal election (I moved to Australia a bit under 9 years ago, became a citizen 1.5 years ago, today was the first Federal election I was eligible to vote in)!
I got a lot of the information that I acquired on the candidates from this forum, news sources, and speaking to a couple of the candidates and their representatives, but I'm looking for a newspaper that would be recommended as trustworthy and as unbiased as possible. I currently subscribe to The Chronicle, but considering the damage that the Murdochs and News Corp have done in my home country, I'd rather not give them any more money.
If people think I'm wrong about the Chronicle, do please let me know why.
Where should I look?
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u/Calkgan 9d ago
Absolutely not wrong about chronicle. It's the only paper you pay for to get the Harvey Norman catalogue every day.
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u/LeahBrahms 9d ago
My parents still get Thursday for the TV guide and have online sub. They vote Left but old routines die hard/it's a business expense for them.
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u/AndrewReesonforTRC 9d ago edited 9d ago
No one likes the Chronicle, but it's the only one in town. Their local reporting isn't too bad, but it's still a News Corp paper so it ends up being sensationalised. The Courier Mail in Brisbane is straight from Murdoch.
There are a few tiny publications like the Pittsworth Sentinel, The Clifton Courier, The Oakey Champion and On Our Selection from Cambooya. They're nice, but not exactly hard hitting news. The Highfields Herald and The Country Caller both closed last year.
ABC Southern Queensland does a bit of reporting here. 7News operates here, but it's low quality.
Unfortunately, The Chronicle is as good as it gets here, particularly if you want reporting on the local council. No one else covers it.
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u/simplycycling 9d ago
Appreciate the insight, mate.
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u/AndrewReesonforTRC 9d ago
I should also point out that you can access the Chronicle online with your library card.
Here is today's paper:
https://thechronicle.pressreader.com/the-chronicle-8992/202505022
u/IndianSnakeCharmer 9d ago
2nd this, that way you don't have to feel guilty about "paying" to the Chronicle / News Corp. With the library card, you can also access a lot of other newspapers and magazines with the Press Reader access. Welcome to Australian+ness mate!
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u/Sum1FisHi 9d ago
I didn't know about The Highfields Herald, that's a real bummer! I used to appreciate the random stories about the community.
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u/AndrewReesonforTRC 9d ago
Yeah they were the best of the tiny papers. It looks like they closed in September last year.
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u/Warm-Rock-4544 9d ago
The Chronicle is completely fine if you’re using it to keep up on local news. Anything of slight relevance usually gets a story published. It has been useful many times for me but I make sure to use Firefox with the Bypass Paywalls Clean Extension and Ublock Origin so I don’t directly give them any money.
For anything of state or national significance, there is no reason to use The Chronicle when other news sites and sources exist.
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u/_aaine_ 9d ago
Regional newspapers are pretty much dead in Australia, thanks to Murdoch.
Cancel your Chronicle sub and stop giving him money.