UK journalism has been supported by at least £55m of philanthropy funding since 2019, according to Press Gazette research.
Our analysis – which looks at philanthropic support to newsrooms, large and small – is based on figures provided to Press Gazette by funders and recipients, as well as figures published on donor websites, the UK Charity Register and 360Giving. We also included estimates of Facebook and Google grant support for journalism (separate from the content syndication fees they pay publishers).
Separate to our estimate, data from Media Impact Funders and Candid show that global philanthropic donations for journalism increased by almost six times between 2009 and 2018 from $75m to $419m. And although data collection for 2019 and 2020 is incomplete, early figures show 2020 is set to be a record-breaking year.
Index raises concerns over UK Freedom of Information
We join media freedom organisations, editors and broadcasters in calling for an urgent review of right-to-know legislation
09 Feb 2021
The Right Honourable Julian Knight MP, Chair, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
CC
The Right Honourable Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Right Honourable Chloe Smith, Minister for the Cabinet Office
Dunja Mijatovic, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner
Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression
Elizabeth Denham, UK Information Commissioner
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon; UK Foreign Office
The editors of the Guardian, Financial Times, Times, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph and Daily Mirror have joined together in a rare show of unity urging the Government to look at reform to protect Freedom of Information (FoI) rights.
A dozen current and former Fleet Street editors have joined a call for a review into the Government’s use of FoI, raising “serious concerns” their policies are contributing to a culture of declining press freedom in the UK.
They have been joined by staunch critics of the newspaper industry such as Hacked Off founder Brian Cathcart and founder of rival press regulator Impress Jonathan Heawood.
A global consensus around the kind of news we need to save
“Things are moving, and consumers are part of it, too. They are finding real news, sticking with it, and putting their dollars behind it.”
We’ve been obsessed this year about battling misinformation and, worse, disinformation. With good cause. But there’s another fight going on right alongside, and it’s a constructive one. Consumers and countries are launching an offensive to save sources of fact-based news: the kind of trusted reporting that helps people stay safe in a pandemic, decide to vote, volunteer for a cause they believe in, or simply connect with their neighbors.