Scores of new independent local media titles are opening up across the UK, the US and other countries, as enterprising journalists seek to bridge the gap left by the decline of traditional newspapers.
In the UK, an estimated four million people live in ‘news deserts’ without a dedicated news outlet, as the move of advertising to ‘Big Tech’ social media platforms and readers seeking their news online – and for free – have led to many local newspapers closing down.
Former British Conservative Party leader Lord (William) Hague has described the outlook for local media as “a scene of utter devastation, with most titles dead or dying”.
In contrast, this week has seen the celebration of ‘Indie News Week’ as the Public Interest News Foundation holds “a national celebration of independent news.” It is promoting the new media outlets’ role in “strengthening democracy, holding power to account, creating pride in place and fostering civic partnership.”
The PINF, an umbrella group for many of the new independents, declares its mission as “connecting communities with their news providers, generating all-important funds and raising awareness of the essential work that journalists do across the country.”
I’ve been a strong advocate of churches working with their local media for decades. We have so much in common. Churches are rooted in their local communities, are often involved in a range of projects benefiting their patch, and have a long-term commitment to the areas they serve.
Also, churches have people within them who are active in local community groups and members who have numerous positive stories to tell – including many that share the good news of how the Christian gospel can transform people’s lives.
So the church and the local media should be a match made in heaven … but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Journalist Phil Creighton launched independent titles for Wokingham, Berkshire, in 2015, and for Reading six years later. He told me that he had responses from churches ranging “from bafflement and indifference to helpful and encouraging.”
He recalled, “Often my encouragement to keep the relationship going was ignored. Some churches really didn’t understand why we wanted to send a photographer along to an event they were holding, while others went out of their way to be helpful.”
It’s especially encouraging when the editor makes it known that he is open to hear from the churches. In my area, experienced journalist Matt Adams launched the independent St Albans Times in 2023 to serve our thriving Hertfordshire city, north of London.
He explained, “Churches and other faith groups are active community organisations with roots deep into our local area. We see building links with them as a key part of our news gathering.”
To that end, the Times has developed a strong relationship with local churches, including St Albans Cathedral, and features news and opinion from church leaders, as well as a round-up of local church services at Easter and Christmas.
The online publication has also, rightly, covered controversial church stories, including issues impacting Soul Survivor, based in nearby Watford.
Other initiatives across the country include Mill Media. Founded in Manchester in 2020, it now has journalists operating in Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow and London, producing long reads and investigations.
Mill Media describes its mission as “giving readers a sense of insight and connection that has been lost in the era of clickbait and mass-produced online media.” Currently, more than 10,000 ‘paying members’ support the Mill’s journalism.
In England’s west country, ‘The Bristol Cable’ is an independent media outlet available both online and in print. It is 100 per cent member-owned, and its journalism has, it says, “prompted accountability and change to local government policies, sparked criminal and human-rights court cases, and been cited in Parliament several times”.
To celebrate Indie News Week, PINF members have organised events across the country, from film festivals to ‘meet the editor’ days. “Despite being busier than ever, journalists are throwing open the newsroom doors to let in local communities,” says the PINF.
The doors to these new media outlets are open to churches as they are to numerous other community organisations. Often, churches are among the most active voluntary groups in their areas.
If we want to get out the good news about what we’re doing, and maybe clear the way for encounters with the gospel, then it could be that there’s a new independent news outlet on your doorstep, waiting to hear from you …
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, and a former communications director with the CofE.
