News Corp Australia has today announced a $1 million commitment to flood-affected communities and their people to aid the recovery and help rebuild lives.
News Corp Australasia executive chairman, Michael Miller and community ambassador, Penny Fowler said the company was working closely with St Vincent de Paul to support The Vinnies Flood Appeal and other groups on the ground to understand where the money could be best spent to help people get back on their feet.
The company’s editorial and commercial staff members who live and work in many of the flood-affected areas will help guide News Corp’s support efforts at a grassroots level as quickly as possible.
Tessa Flemming, reporter with The Northern Star, continued to report on the floods from an evacuation centre in Ballina as waters lapped up to the front door of her own home.
“People were coming in with their dogs, birds in cages. While we were right amongst the story, you don’t really want to be part of it yourself,” she said.
“The way people have responded to this disaster and their resilience is inspiring. It makes me proud to be part of this community.
“We are on the front line as the news unfolds and we will still be here reporting and supporting when the water recedes.”
News Corp Australia’s community ambassador, Penny Fowler, said Australian communities had been through so much in recent years including drought, bushfires, a pandemic and now floods.
She said the company’s support for communities after the bushfire crisis of 2019-20 had been guided by staff who had covered the emergency and talked directly to the people on the ground about the help they needed.
“Our support comes through direct contact between our people and the communities they live in and cover,” said Fowler. “Our approach in this new emergency will be the same.”
“Understanding the long path communities are facing to make a full recovery and the length of time for normality to be restored underpins our commitment to doing everything we can to assist right now and in the longer-term to support and help rebuild.”
Miller said the contribution continued the company’s commitment to improve the lives of Australians and their communities.
“Many of the impacted communities lend us their names on our mastheads and in return we are committed to helping them rebuild,” he said.
“Many of our own colleagues live in these communities. To our teams living in those communities I’d like to say thankyou. I am humbled by your incredible work performed under the most trying circumstances. You are brave and you are absolutely fearless. Well done.”
A print and digital campaign to support the St Vincent’s Flood Appeal will begin this weekend across the four state-based mastheads — The Daily Telegraph, the Herald Sun, The Courier-Mail and The Advertiser as well as The Australian, news.com.au and the Gold Coast Bulletin ahead of more advertisements running next week in The Courier-Mail and The Daily Telegraph.
Local and regional digital mastheads in South-east Queensland and northern NSW will also run advertisements to support the fundraising.
