The fate of local news - read all about it

The London Assembly Economy Committee report ‘The fate of local news – read all about it’, sets out the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for local news in London. It found that:

• A democratic deficit could emerge if local newspapers continue to scale back coverage of local councils, the courts and the local implications of national Government decisions.
• As local newspapers concentrate on their web presence, there is evidence of less ‘on-the-ground’ news reporting or investigative journalism.
• The majority of local newspapers have seen circulation fall in recent years and faced with falling sales, newspaper owners have cut jobs and consolidated to lower costs.

• The Mayor should ensure that news outlets in London pay all staff at least the London Living Wage.
• The Mayor, alongside the National Union of Journalists, should establish a digital journalism apprenticeship.
• The Mayor should work with organisations to fund bursaries for journalists to tackle the lack of diversity in local news.
• Transport for London (TfL) should trial offering local newspapers on specific London bus routes, to ensure that groups who are digitally and news-excluded have access to local news.

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