Journalists from Elgin to Exeter were honoured last night at a lavish Buckingham Palace reception to celebrate the work of local media across the UK.
Both the King and Queen were present and spent time circulating and meeting many of the 400 guests at the drinks reception on 26 March.
Senior executives and industry leaders were present, as well as Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. But the focus of the invites was around grassroots journalists with staff invited from the largest regional newspaper titles (such as DC Thomson’s Press and Journal) to the smallest (The Bridge newsletter and magazine in Berwick on Tweed).
Among those meeting the King was Tony James, 89, who writes for the West Somerset Free Press and who may be the oldest working local newspaper journalist.
He said: “Print journalism is being phased out – it’s been destroyed by digital, which is a great shame.” Some 293 local newspapers closed down between 2005 and 2024 and many more continue in hollowed-out form.
Many local news titles now have huge website audiences but most make far less money from digital than they once did from print. Newsquest is the only major UK local news publisher to make significant progress charging for online news at scale.
The King did not make a speech but did issue a statement signalling his support for an industry which has shrunk by around 75% in the last 20 years.
He said: “I have long believed that regional media, in all its forms, has a unique and vital role to play in society, perhaps even more so in these uncertain times.
“As I said in a speech to mark the tercentenary of Britain’s first daily national newspaper, back in 2002, the press, alongside other long-standing institutions, is at the forefront of ‘defining, describing and celebrating the more profound values of our nation’.
“Two decades on, when too much focus is given to that which divides us, that role for your whole industry is more important than ever – and it starts from the ground-up, at local level,in your hands.
“Your reporting, and the work of all those who support you, helps amplify and reaffirm the rights and responsibilities we all share. It shines a light in dark corners, exposing injustice and wrongdoing. Above all, it helps strengthen our communities, in times of joy and at moments of sorrow.
“You won’t always get it right. A free media is one that will and does make mistakes. But at its best, it is a cornerstone of our democracy.
“I know how commercial pressures and changing technologies have had a significant impact on your industry. But as the media landscape has changed, so too many of you have adapted and innovated, finding ways of sharing your journalism and engaging audiences in new and creative ways.
“It is in everyone’s interests that you should succeed. For without a thriving and financially robust regional media, we would all be the poorer.”
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