Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has praised the work of regional journalists and urged them to “keep advocating” for thair patches.
Addressing a Downing Street reception attended by representatives from the regional press and broadcasting, Sir Keir said it was often local journalists who asked the most difficult questions.
He urged local media to continue to hold the government to account over whether it was delivering for their communities.
Despite the well-documented challenges facing local news platforms, Sir Keir insisted there is a “good news story” to be told about the industry and that the “reach of local regional media is going up.”
He said: “Nobody knows your local areas and issues in the way that you do, and I don’t think there’s any other sort of media outlets, interrogators, interviewers who can put the questions in the way that you do because you understand what’s happening on your patch the way nobody else does, and in a sense, I think because you’re able to translate it into what matters where you are, it makes it more meaningful.
“For example, general statistics only go so far like growing economy or the amount of money going to the NHS, but it doesn’t work very well when you get to communities, it’s the localities to areas where what you do is so important. There’s no one more committed to shining the torch on those issues.”
“I strongly feel people go to their local regional media as a trusted source in a way that they don’t quite believe they can get to a trusted source elsewhere.
“The reach of local regional media is going up so there is a good news story here, but the pressure is huge and the challenges coming up at the same time. But it is important that you keep holding us to account.
Sir Keir added: “Keep advocating for your regions, because, obviously here in Downing Street is where we have a laser focus of communities that you’re advocating for delivering on their priorities, and you must hold us to account for that: from the economy, putting money back in people’s pockets, safer streets, getting more police officers on the streets, getting the NHS back on its feet and delivering more appointments and bringing down those waiting lists.”
He is pictured speaking to Dawn Alford, executive director of the Society of Editors alongside Deanne Blaylock, editor of MyLondon.
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