As the Department for Culture, Media and Sports inquiry into the sustainability of local journalism visited Cardiff, a lively debate was held around whether consolidation of the industry in the hands of a few corporate publishers was having a negative impact on public interest journalism. Public interest news, reporter salaries…

Good morning, Investigative journalism is hard. It takes time, patience … and often a very thick skin too. Charles Thomson, who works in the Archant Investigations Unit, has won several awards for his work uncovering a child abuse cover up in Essex. The latest award came from the Association of…

“People are starving in our rich city.” A powerful statement led off BirminghamLive’s new FoodSOS campaign — a response to the grim realities that sit behind the ‘cost of living’ phrase which has become ubiquitous in recent months. FoodSOS launched this week across BirminghamLive and sister newspaper Birmingham Mail with…

For many reporters, local election nights mean hours spent in sports halls, town halls or community centres. But one South London council went for a slightly grander venue — the Oval cricket ground. Their decision prompted the Local Democracy Reporter Service, funded by the BBC and in parts of South…

A weekly newspaper cleared its front page to remember the victims of a terrorist attack two years ago. Independent title Reading Today used a poster front, showing an image of the Forbury Lion statue lit up in remembrance. James Furlong, who was 36, Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 49 and David Wails, 49…

Hello, A special Sunday edition of our newsletter, looking at the remarkable events in Bristol this week — and the reassuringly strong response from local media. We’ll have our regular update out tomorrow, but until then, have a great Sunday, Behind Local News Should the Mayor of Bristol have flown…

Community news brand InYourArea has been recognised with an award for its Cash for Connectivity campaign, which helped provide online access for children whose education would otherwise remain offline. Cash for Connectivity won the award for ‘Best Publisher-led Social Good Initiative or Campaign’ in the Publishing Excellence Awards category at…

In February, there was little news other than what was happening in Ukraine, as Russian tanks rolled in and Putin-endorsed missiles began firing. Fast forward four months, and there’s a very real risk that the conflict in Ukraine will drift off the daily news list, becoming a daily constant. ‘Ukraine…

The BBC and ITV have confirmed they will join a boycott of press briefings by the mayor of Bristol after local democracy reporters were told they were no welcome to attend. Local publishers including Reach, National World and Bristol 24/7 said they would not attend mayor Marvin Rees’s fortnightly briefings…