Sawt Falasteen - 'Reasons to be optimistic': UK startups boost local news scene

The Slice is a local magazine and a family of four hyper-local online news websites which serve the east London borough of Tower Hamlets -- one of the UK's most diverse, but deprived, neighbourhoods.

While local newspapers have been closing across the country, The Slice is "all about developing a model of local journalism that is financially sustainable in areas of deprivation", explained founder and editor Tabitha Stapley.

The Slice and its websites are owned by a non-profit organisation started by Stapley, a former fashion journalist.

It is funded by some 500 paid subscribers, including readers and local businesses, who get an exclusive newsletter in return for helping keep the publication free for all.

Even the office location is a local affair, with the furniture store owner offering the space for free in exchange for occasional advertising.

"The most exciting thing about this job for me is that we're trying something new," said Agatha Scaggiante, deputy editor and only other full-time staff member alongside Stapley.

The newsroom is a sliver of hope in the UK, blighted by so-called "news deserts" leaving around "4.8 million people... in an area with no dedicated local news coverage", said Jonathan Heawood, executive director of the Public Interest News Foundation (PINF).

- Pop-up ads -

Hit by a loss of revenues as audiences shift to other mostly online sources, almost 300 local UK newspapers closed their doors between 2005 and 2024, according to the Press Gazette.

Among these were family-owned newspapers in existence for generations, as well as newspapers that had been publishing for over 100 years.

Today's prevailing model of local news, which often comprises a website filled with articles loosely linked to the area and a torrent of pop-up ads, is leaving readers "uninspired and unengaged", Heawood told AFP.

As a result, even the around 1,200 remaining local news outlets are struggling with cuts and bleak resources.

According to Heawood, local news "has huge benefits socially", informing people of their local institutions and democratic processes, reducing polarisation and creating "pride in place".

A news desert "is not just a grey area on a map. It's people feeling like they're left without someone who can represent them," said Heawood. "And people really, really mourn that."

Launched in 2018, The Slice is the only dedicated newspaper with a locally-based team serving Tower Hamlets' 300,000-plus residents, according to Stapley. Some 8,000 people have signed up for the newsletters.

During last year's general election, the team did video interviews with all the MP candidates in Tower Hamlets: "so people could actually see them".

- 'People need an example' -

From Manchester to Glasgow, Joshi Herrmann's Mill Media is popularising another form of regional news: long-read features and deep-dives into everything from local culture to corruption.

Launching with the Manchester Mill in 2020, Herrmann now runs six local publications with around 20 staff across the UK.

They have investigated the toxic work culture at a Manchester university, and exposed a Labour party MP as the landlord of a children's home failing safety standards.

"We're in a race for people's attention and affection... So you've got to really change how you do things," Herrmann told AFP.

Primarily funded by subscribers set to reach 10,000 in coming months, Mill Media received significant backing during a seed round for investment in 2023. It boasts 500,000 readers and as of June it was breaking even, Herrmann said.

"It does feel like in the same way that people are pushing against fast fashion, people are pushing against fast news," said Victoria Munro, who writes for the Mill's sister publication, the Sheffield Tribune.

When The Mill launched in Manchester, Mancunian Sophie Atkinson thought it "seemed too good to be true".

"Long-form journalism in Manchester -- that just hadn't existed for years," said Atkinson, now a senior editor.

And before the Tribune launched in 2021, Sheffield's over 500,000 residents were left with just one local daily.

"No one had done this kind of email-based, subscription-based local media thing," said Hermann. "People need an example that it can work."

Similar newsletter and subscription-based local initiatives have since popped up across the UK, said Herrmann.

"There are reasons to be optimistic", said Heawood. But, "I'm not confident that we're going to get through the next few years easily", he warned.

He called for greater government support and changes by big tech companies to make the internet a more profitable space for community and independent media.

On Wednesday, King Charles III will host a reception to showcase royal support for local journalism.

Z.Ramadan--SF-PST