A new £2 million pilot innovation fund to support public interest journalism in the UK, following recommendations in the Cairncross Review.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright has announced a new £2 million pilot innovation fund to support public interest journalism in the UK, following recommendations in the Cairncross Review.

With the digital revolution giving rise to a pressing need for news publishers to develop new approaches and tools, Dame Frances Cairncross recommended government funding for innovative approaches to improve the supply of public interest news.

She described the different types of news which could be categorised as ‘public interest’ in her review – including investigative journalism and reporting on the activities of public institutions.

DCMS Secretary of State Jeremy Wright said:

A strong and independent press is vital for a healthy democracy to thrive and the Government is committed to securing its sustainability.

While we are still developing our full response to the Cairncross Review, our plans to open a pilot fund now will help papers explore innovative ways of providing the public service journalism that citizens need and deserve.

Dame Frances Cairncross said:

I am delighted that the innovation fund suggested in my review is being piloted. Innovation is important if news organisations, and especially small and local providers of news, are to survive and to provide accessible public-interest news for the widest possible audience.

Nesta will administer the pilot Future News Fund, which will have a particular focus on helping providers of local and regional news. It will be used to fund a number of different initiatives, allowing publishers to test or expand new ways of providing sustainable public interest news.

The Government hopes these publishers will benefit from the fund’s testing of new business models and greater use of data, which can be adopted across the industry.

The pilot could also be used to fund a Future News Prize, to encourage wider thinking about how to address the challenges in the sector.