Hello. I have my fingers crossed as I type this (not easy) because this is the first edition I have sent out using thesourcenortheast.com as the main web address.
I sincerely hope nothing goes wrong. Me and technology do not always get along, you understand.
I have been publishing Eyes & Ears as a free-to-read newsletter on Substack since December 2024. I launched the online newspaper The Source North East - the new home of Eyes & Ears - in September.
This may seem a small (insignificant) thing to you, but I was reluctant to change the Substack domain address just in case something went wrong. Well, it often does.
But, I’ve only gone ahead and done it! Everything and everybody tells me you will notice no difference. Please let me know if they are wrong.
Today’s edition is a relatively brief one. It’s all about words and why they matter.
Next edition is Friday - when my Eyes & Ears will be open!
Headline statement
Journalism Matters. That’s not just a statement of fact, it’s the name of an annual campaign run by the News Media Association. This year’s campaign has been backed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, no less.
“At moments when communities are at their most vulnerable, good local journalism can bring people together and separate fact from fiction,” he said. “We saw that after Southport and, more recently, in Belfast, when trusted reporters challenged lies and misinformation being spread online.
“That is exactly what this year’s Journalism Matters campaign is about: recognising journalism not as a nice-to-have, but as part of the national infrastructure of a healthy country and democracy. It holds power to account, strengthens our resilience and connects people to the places they call home.”
Devolution, of course, means strong regional journalism is more important than ever. That is why we launched The Source (I’ve got news for you - 15.09.26).
Around 150 people attended a breakfast event at The Catalyst in Newcastle where Steph McGovern joined me and Simon Rushworth to launch The Source. Steph, a proud Northern lass and self-confessed “gob on a stick”, is investing in The Source and is encouraging more people to support our quality journalism.
Here’s how she described it…
Independent, politically-neutral but North East biased, The Source is a modern platform for regionally unique public benefit journalism and a launchpad for the next generation of great storytellers.
We were successful in obtaining equity funding from the North East Accelerate Fund managed by Mercia. That gave us a base from which to launch The Source, with Eyes & Ears - my weekly digest which many of you will have been receiving in your inboxes for nearly two years - finding a new home in the new online newspaper.
We will provide you with more issue-led journalism, a focus on regional affairs, serve up informed opinion and engaging columnists, and produce quality stories on the people and places that make the North East such a great place to live.
It’s important I manage expectations here. I stressed at the launch event that we need to walk before we run. To do that we need more funding, more subscribers - and the support of sponsors and advertisers. That’s where you come in.
To be clear, a bigger, better, and well supported The Source can only benefit the region.
How you can help
If you are a subscriber then encourage other people to sign up - family, friends, colleagues, clients. Use your social media networks to tell people about The Source.
We currently have more than 3,000 people signed up to get The Source delivered to their inboxes every week. You can help us get to 4,000 - and beyond.
If you are already a free subscriber then the most sustainable way to support us is to become a paid subscriber - it costs £6.99 a month and you can do that here:
But there are other ways to get involved.
HMRC runs a Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme which gives tax reliefs to individuals to incentivise them to support early‑stage companies like ours. That’s what Steph is doing - and we would welcome more modest investors like her and Lady Jane Gibson (actually, we would welcome more adventurous investors as well, so long as they accept we are not going to be a tech unicorn!).
Tier One Capital chief executive Ian McElroy spoke at the launch event about the importance of trust and integrity in a media organisation in an age of misinformation. He suggested we find 10 companies who will support us to the tune of £5,000 a year - “and if you’re prepared to do that I’ll be the first”.
Pleased to say that others have since joined him - but we still need a few more.
To go back to the Journalism Matters campaign, Andy Burnham’s intervention comes as concerns grow about the decline of local news provision across the country. Although 95% of adults access local news, the Prime Minister warned that the commercial market alone could not guarantee its survival.
He said as many as 37 local authorities had no dedicated news outlet, leaving up to 4.4 million people living in what are described as local news deserts. The government is seeking to address the problem through its Local Media Action Plan, including a new Local News Fund (LNF) offering up to £12 million over two years.
Local newspapers, websites and independent television and radio stations have been able to bid for grants to invest in technology, multimedia journalism, attracting younger audiences and developing new sources of revenue.
I did. I failed.
It will be interesting to see which companies and projects were successful in the first round of LNF awards. The announcement is long overdue and it was thought it had been delayed until the PM’s backing for the Journalism Matters week.
Still we wait.
There’s always next year when the second half of the £12m will be up for grabs.
I wanted funding to hire a reporter who would specialise in public benefit journalism - an important role that would make such a difference to the media eco-system in the North East.
The Government, apparently, isn’t up for supporting the proposition right now. Are you? I have launched a Crowdfunder with the specific purpose of recruiting such a specialist journalist.
To contribute, click on:
www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/thesource
Brian Aitken
Editor