In a report published today, the Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) and NewsNow, the UK’s independent news discovery platform, say that communities are demanding local news outlets be supported and saved from extinction and call on funders and policymakers for support.
In place of the current ‘top-down’ model, they call for a ‘bottom-up’ approach, where funding for local news is guided by local communities rather than distant shareholders or politicians.
Jonathan Heawood, Executive Director of PINF, said: ‘Most local newspapers in the UK are owned by three large corporations, which have received millions of pounds in handouts from the government, big tech and the BBC. Local communities aren’t happy with the quality of local news that they’re getting in return. If we want to build a sustainable future for local news, we need to give local people a voice.’
Over the last six months, PINF have worked with a wide range of stakeholders in...
