About our journalism
The Daily Wollongong Newsroom
How we cover Wollongong: who writes the stories, how we use AI, where our information comes from, and how to reach us.
Founder's note
Built by locals, for locals
“Wollongong deserves a daily read that's for Wollongong — not a capital-city paper's afterthought. The Daily Wollongong is that paper.”
Shane Anderson founded The Daily Wollongong in 2026 after years of watching local news shrink across Australia. The brief was simple: a calm, accurate, daily read for people who live here — built by people who live here, with modern tools and old editorial standards. The Daily Wollongong is independently owned and editorially independent. It is part of the wider Daily Network.
AI-assisted journalism
The Daily Wollongong is a small, modern newsroom. We use AI tools to help us monitor public data sources, draft first passes of routine briefs, transcribe recordings, and surface patterns across council papers, court lists, and government releases. Every story published under our masthead is reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by a human journalist before it goes live. AI does not have the final say on what we publish.
Editorial oversight
A named editor signs off on every article. Opinion is labelled. Sponsored content is labelled. Where a story involves a person or organisation we have covered critically, we offer a right of reply before publication wherever practicable. Mistakes are corrected promptly and transparently, with a note on the article explaining what changed and when.
Read the full rulebook in our editorial standards.
Sourcing
We prefer primary sources: council agendas and minutes, court judgments, ABS and government data releases, official statements, on-the-record interviews, and original documents. Where we rely on another outlet's reporting, we say so and we link out. Anonymous sources are used only when the public interest is clear and the information cannot be obtained on the record. Every article lists its sources at the bottom of the page.
Independence and funding
The Daily Wollongong is independently owned and operated in Wollongong. We are funded by readers, local sponsors, and clearly labelled advertising. No advertiser or sponsor sees our editorial copy before publication, and no payment buys favourable coverage.
Contact the newsroom
Story tips, corrections, complaints, and right-of-reply requests are all welcome. The fastest way to reach a human editor is via our about and contact page.