A new report has delivered a damning verdict on the UK Labour Party government’s inaction in the face of a crisis in local journalism – where corporate media has taken control and is destroying the sector with clickbait and junk.
MSM: sucking the lifeblood out of local news
The Public Interest News Foundation’s (PINF) Regenerating Local News study highlights a sector on life support — undermined by a toxic mix of market failure, corporate monopolisation, and policy neglect. With local democracy at risk, experts and journalists alike are calling for urgent reform — and placing independent media at the centre of any future recovery.
The numbers are stark. Since 2005, the UK has lost more than 320 local news titles — roughly a quarter of the total. Print circulation has plummeted by 85% since 2007, and advertising revenues — the traditional lifeblood of local newspapers — have collapsed by 90%. The result is a 50% fall in the number of frontline local journalists in less than two decades.
According to the report, this is not a natural decline. Rather, it’s “a failure of public policy,” compounded by a lack of investment and strategic thinking. Local journalism has been left to wither while tech giants like Reach PLC, Google, and Meta hoover up advertising income that once supported a thriving news ecology.
AI slop
Meanwhile, so-called “zombie titles” — papers owned by major corporations like Reach PLC and Newsquest — continue to dominate the market. These outlets maintain legacy brands but produce hollowed-out content with skeleton staff, little original reporting, and minimal community engagement.
For example, the Canary’s Rachel Charlton-Dailey recently wrote on Reach-owned Birmingham Live. she noted:
James Rodger is the content editor of Birmingham Live. He is, despite my initial disbelief, a real person. My reason for this doubt is the sheer number of articles James puts out per shift. Yesterday alone he published ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY articles.
And honestly, they’re all absolutely fucking shit.
Not a single one of these “articles” are of any substance or consequence. They’re the same old clickbait about supermarkets and airlines bringing in “crucial” changes, banking bullshit about payments, holiday secrets, and of course we can’t forget warnings that it might snow in winter.
Judging by the volume of posts alone, these surely can’t have been written by a human. And if you actually click on them it’s clear to see that it’s absolute AI slop.
Independent media innovating
In contrast, the UK’s independent local news outlets — often run on a shoestring — are playing a vital role in plugging the democratic deficit left by the decline of traditional press. Outlets like The Bristol Cable, The Ferret, and Sheffield Tribune are producing high-quality, investigative journalism rooted in community needs.
“These organisations are not just surviving — they’re innovating,” said Jonathan Heawood, Executive Director of PINF:
They’re experimenting with co-ops, non-profits, and community shares. But without proper support, they’ll always be fighting an uphill battle.
The report highlights how these smaller players are more trusted than corporate media. A 2022 Ofcom survey found that 81% of audiences trusted local news outlets to tell the truth, compared to just 63% for national outlets. Despite this, only 0.3% of the BBC’s £100m+ annual Local Democracy Reporting Service budget goes to independent providers.
The PINF report does not mince words in its criticism of Westminster. It accuses successive governments of “failing to engage meaningfully” with the crisis in local news. Funding mechanisms such as the BBC’s LDRS and the £2m Innovation Fund have overwhelmingly favoured corporate players.
PINF describes the current regulatory regime as “captured by legacy interests,” resulting in a system that rewards scale, not service.
Local authorities have also contributed to the decline, with public notice advertising — worth £45m annually — often funnelled exclusively to big publishers, regardless of reach or quality. This effectively blocks independent publishers from accessing a vital source of revenue.
Local news is ‘broken’
“The current system is broken,” said Dr. Clare Cook of the University of Central Lancashire, a co-author of the report:
We need policy interventions that put communities, not corporations, at the heart of local journalism.
The report sets out a bold but achievable agenda. It calls for the establishment of an Independent News Fund — akin to the Arts Council — to distribute grants to local media organisations based on public benefit, not profit. It also recommends greater scrutiny of media mergers, more inclusive funding processes, and a reallocation of public notices to reflect real audience reach.
Ultimately, Regenerating Local News is a wake-up call. If the UK is serious about defending democracy, it must stop subsidising corporate media giants and start investing in the grassroots outlets that are doing the real work of journalism.
As Heawood put it:
This isn’t about nostalgia for newspapers. It’s about ensuring every community has access to independent, accountable, and trustworthy news. The time to act is now.
Featured image via the Canary
