Participants in this workshop will receive a higher travel subsidy ($300) to cover additional travel expenses incurred in attending this day. The program will include a half-day workshop with Dr Josie Vine from RMIT University to discuss the relationship between sustainability and professionalism in the news sector. Securing community-run hyperlocal news’ sustainability is increasingly urgent, both globally and in Australia, as the sector progressively replaces the democratic/civic function of local commercial news. There is, however, an as-yet unexplored nexus between sustainability and professionalisation in a hyperlocal news context. Dr Vine's pilot project fills this gap in research through workshops with outlet founders/ editors, and – in the project’s second phase - interviews with stakeholders, to reveal significant new information about the impact of this nexus between sustainability and professionalisation on hyperlocal news’ citizen-ownership structures and public interest ethos. The second part of the day will include a discussion with representatives from the University of Melbourne, Public Interest Journalism Initiative, Melbourne Press Club, Monash University, 360Info, Australian Communities Foundation, RMIT and more on internships, accreditation and other ideas to help strengthen the news industry, and where local news fits into the news ecosystem. And finally, work with industry partners to help shape LINA's emerging journalist support program.