Why I'm spending $100 million on 'the pursuit of truth'

Why I'm spending $100 million on 'the pursuit of truth'

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By Judith Neilson
3 December 2018 — 12:05am

If I had any doubt that my investment in an institute to support “evidence-based journalism and the pursuit of truth” was a worthy ambition it has been swept away by the overwhelming positive response to the announcement.

I expected journalists, and the media industry generally, to welcome the initiative. But more heartening has been the reaction of the wider community. People from around Australia, and the world, have inundated my office with messages of thanks and support.

Billionaire Judith Neilson has pledged $100 million to further the cause of journalism. Credit: Janie Barrett

That tells us a lot about the state of the world at the moment. Many of us are concerned about the quality of our governance, the state of our media, and how we as citizens can make sense of an increasingly complicated world and communicate with each other in meaningful ways.

The original idea for a journalism institute grew out of conversations I had with friends and advisers about what might be done to enrich our civic life – its institutions and the quality of public discourse.

Journalism has many critics; I believe journalism also needs its champions.

Initially, I was focused on the Australian market. But it soon became clear that any venture of this sort must be global in outlook and ambition. News and social media is global. Any Australian project must be global too.

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I am not an expert. I would never pretend to have all the answers. But like everyone else I consume the news and I sense that we are at a moment in time, perhaps at a tipping point, where some very fundamental principles about truth and democracy are up for grabs.

That sounds high-minded. I don’t mean it to be. I know that news has always been subsidised to varying degrees by business. The “rivers of gold” that flowed from advertising revenue for established media companies have run dry and new ways of monetising journalism must be found. To those looking for new sources of revenue, I say: more strength to your arm.

In the meantime, those of us with the means can do something.

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The so-called public square has been rapidly transformed. Debates are conducted in “echo chambers” which have no space for alternative points of view or calm and rational debate. Anyone with a Twitter account can derail an otherwise sensible discussion. The very concept of “truth” is now routinely challenged.

I hope that the institute I am establishing can do something to push back against this trend. I want it to sit right in the middle of the public square. From time to time it will be involved in controversy: so be it. It will be a forum for ideas, but an advocate of none.

The institute will be independent, non-partisan and open to all who want to take up the challenge of contemporary journalism with goodwill and in good faith.

This is why I will play no role in its governance. I have no political or ideological agenda, and I will rely on experienced and respected journalists, practitioners and scholars to guide the institute’s work.

From now, it is up to those entrusted with its mission to realise my ambition.

Thank you to all those who have wished it well.

Judith Neilson is a Sydney-based billionaire, art gallery owner and philanthropist.

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https://www.smh.com.au/national/why-i-m-spending-100-million-on-the-pursuit-of-truth-20181202-p50jnv.html