‘Slow journalism’ newsletter launched for West Yorkshire town

A new hyperlocal website has launched in a Yorkshire town with the aiming of proving ‘slow news’ can pay for itself away from big cities.

The Ilkley Journal has been founded by Narinder Purba, and is promising ‘slower, better news’ for the town.

Its opening article this week focused on the candidates for the mayoral elections in West Yorkshire.

Narinder told readers: “We’re on a mission to improve local news with original, thoughtful and informative stories and opinions about the things that really matter.

“That means journalism done slower and better. Of course, we’ll also do breaking news — there’s always time and place for it — but main our focus, for now, is on providing you with a higher standard of local news that goes deeper and further.”

A weekly round-up is expected to provide the starting point for the Journal, with longer readers and investigations also being published inbetween.

Narinder added: “None of this is set in stone. We’re a very small news organisation will adapt and evolve as we grow and start finding our way. What we will never change is our commitment to good local journalism that makes a difference, big or small.”

The Journal will publish on Substack and will be financed through subscriptions and sponsorships. Similar models have proved to be successful in cities around the UK, where populations can run into the hundreds of thousands.

Ilkley by comparison has a population in the town of around 16,000 — but has long sustained a weekly newspaper, the Ilkley Gazette.

You can follow the Ilkley Journal here

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