Trusted local journalism is ‘facing a crisis of unprecedented proportions’
An industry body representing national and local news publishers – including the Express – has written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak requesting more support measures as the country enters another lockdown.
In a letter to the Chancellor, Lynne Anderson, deputy chief executive of the News Media Association (NMA), said the news media industry has ‘played a central role in the fight against the virus and will continue to do so’.
But it added the crisis has put ‘unprecedented pressure’ on publishers, with advertising revenue declining by up to 80 per cent and more than 50 titles either suspended or permanently closed since the start of the pandemic.
Newspaper publishers are not eligible for the new lockdown support grants, so the NMA has asked that support measures are introduced as ‘a matter of grave urgency’.
It has suggested three initiatives to support news publishers:
1.Targeted support for public interest journalism – a refundable tax relief system where news publishers are able to claim back a proportion of salaries of existing reporters deployed to cover public interest journalism and to incentivise and fund the employment of reporters specifically for this purpose.
2.Extend the existing business rates relief scheme for local news publishers
3.Introduce a tax credit to encourage advertisers to use UK media.
The letter adds: “The news media industry, which has provided so much benefit to the public during the coronavirus pandemic through the provision of trusted journalism, is facing a crisis of unprecedented propor tions.
“We believe that direct and targeted interventions by Government, such as the ones outlined above, are necessary to safeguard the future of independent journalism in this country.”