This evolving list of (reverse-chronological) resources brings together the key documents in the debate about public benefit journalism and charitable status in the UK. (If we’ve left anything out, please do get in touch!)
- { NEW } The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee released Breaking News, the report for its Inquiry into the Future of Journalism – including a significant section strongly supporting charitable status for journalism (27 Nov 2020).
- { NEW } The All-Party Parliamentary Media Group held a public panel discussion, sponsored by NewsNow.co.uk, on Regulating and Funding Public Interest News in a World of Fake News, featuring trustee Rachel Oldroyd (27 Nov 2020).
- The PBJRC’s submission to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s Inquiry into the Future of Journalism, in May 2020. (See also related submissions from Lawrence Simanowitz of Bates Wells Braithwaite and The Transparency Project, and see all written evidence here.)
- PBJRC Chair George Brock’s May 2020 article for The Conversation UK on charitable status as one part of the solution.
- The final report of the Cairncross Review (2019), which recommends charitable status for journalism – which the government encouraged in its initial response (Feb 2019), but not in its final response (Jan 2020), accompanied by this guidance from the Charity Commission. (Here’s Dame Frances Cairncross talking with the BBC Media Show’s Amol Rajan (Feb 2019) about her findings, including the need to unlock more philanthropic support for journalism.)
- An August 2018 article by Professor Steven Barnett and Dr Judith Townend calling for a reform of charity law to permit journalism organisations to register as charities.
- A 2018 guide for philanthropic funders interested in journalism and media, commissioned by the Ariadne Network of Funders for Human Rights and Social Change and the Transparency and Accountability Initiative in response to increased interest among their member funders in supporting journalism, and written by Sameer Padania of Macroscope London.
- A 2017 analysis of the philanthropic funding environment for journalism in the UK, commissioned by the European Journalism Centre’s Journalism Funders Forum, and written by Professors Cathy Pharaoh and Jenny Harrow of CGAP, Cass Business School, City University. (Here’s a read-out of the meeting this accompanied by EJC Director Adam Thomas.)
- This 2016 report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) at Oxford University examined the “impact of charity and tax law/regulation on not-for-profit news organizations”, including a chapter by Dr Judith Townend analysing the situation in the UK.
- A related 2016 article in the journal Communication Ethics, also by Judith Townend, asked whether charitable journalism is an oxymoron or an opportunity. In the same journal, Jonathan Heawood analyses the establishment of IMPRESS to see if the decision of the English Charity Tribunal to award it charitable status “opened a way forward for charitable journalism.”
- The Advisory Group on Journalism and Charitable Status submitted a report to Lord Leveson in 2012 endorsing and reinforcing the recommendation of the Lords in support of public benefit journalism.
- In 2012 the House of Lords Select Committee on Communications issued this report on the Future of Investigative Journalism, and made a strong recommendation that charitable status for journalism be considered.
- A 2011 RISJ report by Robert G Picard asking “Is there a better structure for news providers?” suggested that charitable and trust ownership might be a good answer.
Soon we will share similar resources for the USA, Canada, Australia and Germany.
(And if you’re in the journalism field, and wondering about charitable status, we’d love to hear from you.)
