Local press leaders issue Government with action plan to save industry
Andy Burnham, culture secretary has been sent a list of action points by leaders of the regional press as they look to save the industry.
Regional papers are thought to have seen around 1,000 job cuts in the last six months along, with dozens of newspapers having closed at the same time.
As a result, the Society of Editors and the Newspaper Society have come together to send a plan of action to aid the industry with some action points.
The points include:
• Issue guidance to local authorities to discourage them from launching publications and websites that compete directly with and undermine local papers.
• Encourage local and national government to advertise public sector jobs and services in local papers and their websites.
• Remove the threat of relaxation of obligations on local authorities to advertise public notices in local newspapers.
• Explore ways in which Google and others could be prevented from profiting from third party content without recompense to or consent from those who generated the material.
• Invest public funds for training directly with media companies and the industry's main training organisation, the NCTJ, thereby encouraging training for multi-platform news delivery.
It is thought that Ministers are already discussing relaxing controls over regional press ownership, a move which both the Newspaper Society and the Society of Editors agree with.
Society of Editors president and Ipswich Evening Stat editor Nigel Pickover said: "We are pleased that the secretary of state is concerned about the special problems of the regional press and these ideas could have a direct and speedy effect on local and regional papers and therefore on local communities and democracy.
"The industry is not asking for special treatment but rather for government action to help ensure there is a level playing field in a rapidly changing media market place. The problem is serious and urgent."
National Union of Journalists members will meet MPs today in a special lobby of parliament to discuss the challenges currently facing British journalism.