Andy Burnham: Local journalism is vital to success of devolution agenda
The government is seeking to support local news outlets, including a Local News Fund offering up to £12m over two years
Local journalism is an important part of the UK’s national infrastructure and will be critical to the success of the government’s devolution agenda, Andy Burnham has said, as he pledged a multi-million pound funding plan to help support news publishers.
Writing to mark the launch of this year’s Journalism Matters campaign, the Prime Minister said that journalism should be recognised not as a luxury but as an essential component of a healthy democracy.
He argued that as political power and resources are transferred away from Westminster and towards local communities, independent news organisations will have an increasingly important role in scrutinising decisions and ensuring that residents have a voice.
“Too much power in this country has flowed one way: towards Westminster and away from the places where people actually live their lives,” Mr Burnham said.
“This government is changing that. We are putting power and resources back into the hands of communities. But with greater local power must come local accountability. And that is why local journalism matters.”
The Prime Minister said local reporters were often the people attending council meetings and courts, asking questions on behalf of the public and holding institutions to account. He also highlighted the role of trusted journalists in countering misinformation during periods of community tension, citing the aftermath of the Southport killings and more recent events in Belfast.
“At moments when communities are at their most vulnerable, good local journalism can bring people together and separate fact from fiction,” he said.
Mr Burnham spoke about his own experience as Mayor of Greater Manchester and how the Manchester Evening News campaigned for free bus travel for homeless children living in temporary accommodation.
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The newspaper had done more than report the problem, he said, helping to bring people together behind the changes needed to address it.
His intervention comes as concerns grow about the decline of local news provision across the country. Although 95 per cent of adults access local news, the Prime Minister warned that the commercial market alone could not guarantee its survival.
He said as many as 37 local authority districts now had no dedicated news outlet, leaving up to 4.4 million people living in what are described as local news deserts. The problem was disproportionately affecting some of the country's most deprived urban communities.
The government is seeking to address the problem through its Local Media Action Plan, including a new Local News Fund offering up to £12 million over two years.
Local newspapers, websites and independent television and radio stations have been able to bid for grants to invest in technology, multimedia journalism, attracting younger audiences and developing new sources of revenue.
A further £275,000 has been made available for projects supporting the wider industry. In the fund's second year, £1 million will be allocated to helping communities restore local news provision where it has disappeared, including through reviving dormant publications, expanding neighbouring titles or establishing community-owned outlets.
The Prime Minister said the campaign is central to the government's plans for devolving power.
“Devolution cannot simply mean moving power from one set of politicians to another,” he said.
“It has to mean giving people more of a say. For that to work, they need to know what is being done in their name.”
He said communities needed journalists prepared to ask difficult questions, expose wrongdoing, challenge misinformation and champion local interests.
Theo Bamber, chief executive of the News Media Association, which coordinates the Journalism Matters campaign, said expressions of support must be followed by practical measures to protect publishers.
“The support shown by the Prime Minister must turn into real action that demonstrates the government understands the changed environment that journalists and news publishers are operating in,” he said.
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