PINF unveils vision for dedicated UK Local News Fund
- Jonathan Heawood
- Aug 14
- 4 min read
PINF Executive Director Jonathan Heawood talks us through our proposed new strategy to unlock resources to regenerate local media.
The world has changed in many ways since PINF was launched in 2019. But even in those far off times, some things were clear. Digital technology and social media platforms had disrupted the media economy and news providers were under extraordinary pressure. The Cairncross Review diagnosed a ‘market failure’ and recommended a new Institute for Public Interest News (IPIN) to address the situation.
We launched PINF as an independent charity when it became clear that the Government had no intention of creating IPIN.
Since then, with the support of some very generous donors and partners, we have established PINF as a unique source of support for public interest news across the UK. We have:
Generated almost £1m in new funding for independent public interest news providers.
Built a vibrant community of 100+ independent news providers.
Hosted annual editions of the Indie News Forum in Leeds, Bristol and Glasgow.
Conducted groundbreaking research, including the Local News Map, showing that 4.7m people in the UK live in news deserts.
Campaigned successfully to give independent news providers the right of collective bargaining with big tech firms.
Established the Local News Commission to find new ideas to regenerate local news.
Developed the Co-Creational News Media toolkit to help news providers involve the public in their work.
These are only some of our achievements, but there are many more – and of course we’ve also made our fair share of mistakes.
We’ve now taken stock of our strengths and weaknesses and the changing opportunities and threats in the world around us. It’s become clear that we’ve spread ourselves very thin. In order to have more impact, we need to focus.
So, we’re preparing to launch a new strategy, and we’re taking the unusual step of sharing it publicly so that you can tell us if we’re heading in the right direction.
In this blog, I’ll set out our proposed new mission and summarise our three planned areas of activity. We’d love to know what you think.
Our new mission is to regenerate local news in the UK by 2035
Until now, PINF has worked across many different fields of public interest news. But local news is facing the sharpest challenges and also seeing some of the most exciting developments. And policymakers and philanthropists are increasingly interested in our work in this area.
So, we think this is the right moment to launch an ambitious ten-year mission to regenerate local news in the UK.
What does it mean to regenerate local news? Well, we want to ensure that, by 2035, communities in every local authority district in the UK benefit from local news that is Accountable; Sustainable; in the Public interest; Innovative; Representative; and Engaging (ASPIRE).
To achieve this aim, we plan to:
Build a UK-wide Local News Fund as a source of patient capital (grants and social investment) for local news providers.
Launch a Local News Campaign to persuade the BBC, big tech and local government to shape a positive enabling environment for local news.
Lead a Local News Futures programme to celebrate and inspire models of local news with the greatest impact.
Local News Fund
We’re planning to develop our work with grantmakers and social investors (including government-backed fund managers) to unlock new economic resources for local news across the UK.
We can be optimistic about local news – so long as local news providers get the financial backing they need. The wrong kind of investment won’t get the right results. Purely commercial investors might push for unrealistic financial returns, leading to cost-cutting and lower quality journalism, while purely philanthropic funding can create a cycle of dependency, where local news providers don’t focus on long-term revenue generation.
So, we’re increasingly interested in the sweet spot between commercial investment and philanthropy – what’s known as ‘impact investment’ – where funders are still looking for some financial return, but they’re also interested in the social impact of their investment, and they’re prepared to accept higher risks.
Inspiring examples include The Growth Fund and The Key Fund, but they are general purpose funds for social enterprises, whereas we think that local news needs a dedicated fund of its own, with managers who can provide coaching and mentoring as well as cash. And that’s what we are working towards.
Local News Campaign
We’re planning to work with the BBC, big tech firms, central and local government, MPs, Peers and regulators to shape a positive enabling environment for local news.
The PINF Local News Commission focused on the need of local communities for news that is Accountable, Sustainable, in the Public interest, Innovative, Representative and Engaging (ASPIRE). The Commissioners identified various barriers to this vision, including the complex presence of the BBC, big tech and local government in the local news ecosystem.
We want to turn a hostile environment for local news into positive conditions that can enable local news providers to thrive. So, we are proposing to focus our advocacy on three campaign objectives:
Ensure that the BBC works in partnership with local news providers, including potentially through a new commissioning fund.
Ensure that big tech firms treat local news providers fairly, including through bargaining codes and must carry provisions.
Ensure that local authorities support local news providers, including through an updated public notice system.
Local News Futures
We’re planning to work with academics, civil society organisations, journalism support organisations and local news providers to showcase models of local news with the most positive impact.
Local news is changing, in the UK and around the world. We’re seeing new models of live journalism, new relationships between local news providers and their communities, new ways of using technology and new uses of old technologies like print.
Through projects like the Co-Creational News Media Toolkit and the Tenacious Journalist Awards, we’ve been able to celebrate and develop new forms of public interest news. In the years ahead, we plan to focus on innovation in local news, so that we can inspire providers to develop news that generates the greatest social and economic value for local communities.
What’s next?
We are still finalising these plans and we’d love to know what you think. Do you support our mission to regenerate local news by 2035? Do you agree with our three objectives? How can we work together to bring this vision to life?
Get in touch at contact@publicinterestnews.org.uk to share your thoughts.