By Rebecca Maer
Dozens of independent local news journalists, including the Eastbourne Reporter, were among those attending a regional media reception at Buckingham Palace this week.
The King issued a statement to mark the occasion, saying that he had long believed that regional media had a unique and vital role to play in society.
I joined a dozen or so grassroots news journalists from across the UK in a contingent from the Independent Community News Network, based at Cardiff University, earlier this week (March 26).
The King’s statement said: “Your reporting, and the work of all those who support you, helps amplify and reaffirm the rights and responsibilities we all share. It shines a light in dark corners, exposing injustice and wrongdoing.
“Above all, it helps strengthen our communities, in times of joy and at moments of sorrow.
“I know how commercial pressures and changing technologies have had a significant impact on your industry. But as the media landscape has changed, so too many of you have adapted and innovated, finding ways of sharing your journalism and engaging audiences in new and creative ways.
“It is in everyone’s interests that you should succeed. For without a thriving and financially robust regional media, we would all be the poorer.”
Champagne and canapes were served in the opulent ballroom, hung with glittering chandeliers and swathed in crimson drapes.
The King and Queen chatted to guests among the 400 or so media people in the room, their progress marked by cameras held high over their heads by the official photographers.
No other photos were allowed.
I talked to the Duke of Gloucester, who enquired if Eastbourne was full of retired people. I informed him that the average age in the town was 45, which seemed to surprise him.
The invitation had stated ‘Hats and gloves are not required’, which was fortunate because it was a warm spring evening as we joined the tourist crowds outside taking photos.
The route to the ballroom was marked by crunching across a deeply-gravelled quad and a walk through the 47-metre picture gallery, with little time to admire the Rembrandt, Rubens, and Canaletto works.
Dozens of uniformed Royal household staff circulated with bite-sized canapes and magnum bottles of champagne to top up swiftly-drained flute glasses.
By 8pm, the bottles had vanished and empty trays were pointedly being circulated to collect the glasses – time to go. We were ever so politely herded towards the exits by staff with gently outstretched arms and a smile.
The event and the king’s comments came a day after a report was published by the Public Interest News Foundation (PINF), of which Eastbourne Reporter is a member.
It said there was an emerging ecosystem of independent news but that it was fragile.
The report called for “new settlements” with the BBC, big tech companies and local government to help fund the industry.
The Eastbourne Reporter, a Community Interest Company not run to profit any shareholders, has just 40 paying members from a readership since June 2022 of nearly 59,000 people.
The report suggests the BBC should share financial resources with local news providers which provide high-quality local journalism.
It was also highly critical about the system of placing local authority public notices, which involves lucrative advertising revenue, mostly with legacy print newspapers.
This advertising is thought to be worth about £60 million a year, much of which flows to corporate groups such as National World (publisher of the Eastbourne Herald), Newsquest (publisher of The Argus in Brighton) and Reach.
For more on this, a report on Hold The Front Page website provides a summary of the report.
The report by PINF was on behalf of the Local News Commission, which consists of leading figures from the public, private and voluntary sectors.
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