The team who will help decide how fund to save local news will be spent has been announced
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Behind Local News
The team of people who will help determine how up to £12million of Government money is spent on local news projects has been announced.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced the Government’s Local Media Strategy earlier this year, pledging £12m over two years to kick start projects which could help secured the future of the local news industry.
Now the Local News Fund Steering Board has now been appointed.
The membership is:
Jeremy Clifford (co-chair): Executive Media Consultant, Chrysalis Transformations - previously at JPI Media and Archant
Polly Curtis (co-chair): Chief Executive at Demos - previous experience at the Guardian, Huffpost UK, Tortoise Media and PA Media
George Adelman: Managing Director and Head of Philanthropic Partnerships, FT Strategies
John Baron: editor and cofounder of the West Leeds Dispatch; Advisory Board Member of the Independent Community News Network
Agnes Gulyas: Professor of Media and Communications, Canterbury Christ Church University
Jaldeep Katwala: Director, Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, Birmingham City University; previously Network Manager for the Public Interest News Foundation; Non Executive Director of the Bristol Cable
Owen Meredith: Managing Director of Public Policy, DMGT - previously CEO of the News Media Association
Lorna Willis: CEO of Techskills - previously CEO at Archant Community Media
In a statement yesterday, the DCMS said the purpose of the steering board is to play an advisory role in providing independent expertise and objective advice to DCMS in the decision-making process for distribution of funding under the Local News Fund.
This includes a role in setting the bidding and eligibility criteria for the Local News Fund.
“In convening this board, DCMS aims to benefit from a wide range of experience of the local media sector and related industries,” the department said.
“This will help to ensure value for money in the distribution of funding and that the best bids are selected for Local News Fund grants, for the benefit of local media and the communities that they serve.”
So what happens next?
The Government has committed to at least £6m being spent on the Local News Fund over the next 12 months, with the potential for a further £6m in year two, although this isn’t confirmed.
Community Radio funding will increase to £1 million per year, the DCMS said.
Details of how the money will be spent are yet to be confirmed. Announcing the Amplify [Local Media Strategy] plan in March, the DCMS said the fund would be for “local media to invest in digital innovation and the digital tools, resources and infrastructure from which the whole industry can benefit in moving towards a digital-first and sustainable future.”
Some funding reserved to support communities in local news deserts - areas with little or no dedicated local news service, although the definition of what is really a news desert is contested within the local news industry.
Why is the Government doing this?
Lisa Nandy, culture secretary, has made supporting local news a priority since taking office in the summer of 2024.
Launching the Local Media Plan, Ms Nandy said: “We believe there is a market for local media that is growing. In a world where facts are contested and debate has moved to the extremes, people are seeking out news they can trust and stories that reflect their lives and communities.
“But for local media to thrive in every part of the country, things have to change.
“As audiences move online, the foundations that once sustained local journalism have been shaken. Local publishers have shut their doors, thousands have lost their jobs, and vital stories have been left untold. The consequences of this continue to be felt across our communities, and have heralded the rise of news deserts and an increase in the spread of misinformation.
“When local journalism declines, trust declines with it. Accountability weakens. And voices across the UK are silenced.
“The government will not allow that to happen.”
What else does it have planned?
A number of actions have been set out in the Local Media Plan, beyond the Local News Fund, including commitments from government to:
Make best use of local media as a key trustworthy channel for government advertising and public information campaigns, for the benefit of both local media and audiences.
Champion local media as a high quality channel for commercial advertising, by demonstrating its value to the government marketing community through case studies and allowing these to be shared more widely.
Support independent local radio and smaller online news publishers to develop standards to better measure their audiences, so they can compete more effectively in the advertising market, and carry government advertising.
Ensure transparency of local decision making and supporting civic engagement through a review of statutory notices, beginning with a consultation to determine whether any changes to legislation are required.
It has also launched an Inspiring the Future campaign in the North West of England, asking journalists and editors to visit schools to talk about careers in local media, and build news literacy.
The Government has also committed to ensuring young people from all backgrounds and in all parts of the country have access to high quality journalism, although how has not been specified.
In the West Of England, it is trialling new ways for public services like councils and local press to work together via a regional media forum. If it works, it could legislate for similar forums across the UK.
Is the Government expecting tech platforms to play a part in supporting local news?
It is - although they are not represented on the funding panel.
The action plan pledges supporting the local news industry in exploring voluntary options to make trustworthy news more prominent online, and considering further action should this later become necessary. This will fall short of what many in local media had hoped for, given the track record of platforms in voluntarily supporting news in a fair way over a prolonged period of time.
The Government has committed to helping local news providers adapt to the emerging challenges of AI-generated news summaries, by supporting the market-led development of a healthy licensing ecosystem between AI developers and rightsholders including local media while also working with industry to ensure proportionate transparency.
In recent weeks, the Competitions and Markets Authority has effectively forced Google to give publishers the chance to opt out of AI summaries in the search engine, without disappearing from search results overall.
It has today launched a new broadside at the search giant, saying it needs to make its search results fairer, Press Gazette reported today.
And what about the BBC?
The BBC is accused by publishers of cutting local radio services to directly compete with hard-pressed local publishers. Research by local publishers has shown that up to 70% of stories written on BBC local news sites are on topics already being covered at the same time by local publishers already fighting tech platforms for audience.
Even Ofcom, which backed the BBC’s expansion, has described the BBC as causing ‘an additional headwind for local publishers.’ It’s a point made several times in Parliament too.
According to the Media Action Plan, DCMS will “ensure through the BBC Charter Review process that the BBC does more to support the diversity of local media and news services in the UK over the next ten years, for the benefit of all audiences.”
It will also “work with the BBC and others to help future-proof the Local Democracy Reporting Service and so guarantee the continued provision of local news of democratic importance over the next Charter period.”
For its part, the BBC says it is committed to working with local news publishers, and disputes the fact it is harming local news publishers, despite data showing its market share for local page views in England has risen from 20% to over 40% in the last two years.
Any word on SLAPPs?
In a word, no, despite promises from the Labour Party before being elected. However the plan does promise to “refresh the National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists, including by assessing the specific risks of threats and abuse to local journalists, whether online, offline or legal in nature.”
This week, however, Baroness Stowell of Beeston (Tina Stowell) and Sir John Whittingdale, MP for Maldon, are due to introduce separate private members’ bills in the Lords and the Commons respectively following the government’s failure to commit to legislation to tackle SLAPPs.
Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are legal actions used to harass and intimidate those speaking out on matters of public interest.
The phrase SLAPP doesn’t refer to a particular sort of legal action - eg suing someone for defamation - but any legal action which is designed to prevent something from being released into the public domain.