The Hackney Citizen is to step up its investigations after its publisher won £89,667 from the government’s new Local News Fund.
Citizen News & Media Limited, which publishes the Hackney Citizen, is one of 50 local news organisations across England and Wales to share in the £6 million fund. The awards were announced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on Thursday 5 November.
The grant will pay for three linked projects: an AI-driven investigations platform, a companion platform for data journalism, and a new way for readers to support the paper financially.
Keith Magnum, Director and Editor of the Hackney Citizen, said: “This grant will help the Hackney Citizen do more of the investigative journalism Hackney needs. We will build tools that let a small team take on Freedom of Information requests, public filings and data at scale, while keeping the reporting and editorial judgement firmly with journalists.”
Backing local journalism
The Local News Fund sits at the centre of ‘Amplify: The Local Media Action Plan’, the government’s strategy for local journalism. Most of the money has gone to local print, online, TV and radio outlets, in grants of up to £125,000. The rest went to seven organisations building tools for the wider industry, with grants of up to £275,000.
Media Minister Ian Murray said: “For decades our local media has remained among the most trusted sources of news. But as the media landscape has become more complex, many outlets have been forced to reduce their numbers or even close. I am determined not to leave local journalism to collapse.”
The announcement was timed to coincide with Journalism Matters Week, the News Media Association’s annual campaign promoting the news industry.
How bids were judged
Bids were judged by a steering board of independent industry experts, after a technical assessment by the Government Grants Managed Service. Applicants had to show at least 12 months’ track record of local journalism and that their content is editorially accountable.
Steering board co-chair Jeremy Clifford said the board had to turn down “many worthwhile and quality bids” and urged DCMS to find more money for 2027.
The government says £1 million of next year’s fund will target ‘news deserts’ – areas with no dedicated local outlet – with up to a further £5 million for sustainability and innovation.
Disclosure: this article is about the Hackney Citizen’s own publisher.
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