The Local Press and the BBC

The decline in local newspapers is leading to a local news ‘desert’, where there is little or no coverage of important local issues like policing, court cases and council politics. At present, the BBC attempts to fill some of the gap by paying for ‘local democracy reporters’ who work for private local media companies, but this creates tensions and is not a sustainable solution. This article argues that granting small local media organisations charitable status, as in the United States, would also be problematic. Instead, it advocates an independent ‘Local Press Council’.