The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community journalism start-ups in the UK

This project will investigate the experience of community journalism start-ups in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic, through 30 in-depth interviews and a survey of 100 practitioners. Community journalism start-ups - small, independently owned publications that focus on locally relevant news - are sometimes viewed as a solution to the crisis in local news provision. Their role is particularly vital in the current pandemic, where local knowledge is more crucial than ever. Yet they are highly precarious and under significant financial threat due to the pandemic's economic fallout. There is little research on these organisations, and none on their fate in the context of the pandemic. The proposed project will shed light on how the pandemic has changed the financial situation, ways of working and community relationships of these crucial news providers. The project will generate new scholarly knowledge and contribute to urgent ongoing industry and policy debates.