Our ambition is to hold power to account, work with the community to fix big issues, and partner with local groups to present workshops for anyone hoping to learn new skills.
We're a co-operative, a type of model where members get to vote on how the business is run.
Become a member
Stay connected with your community, gain insights into the issues that matter, and be part of the conversation that shapes our city's future. By supporting us, you support reporting that matters.
Our mission
- Stay independent. The Gazette is ad-free and funded by its members.
- Slow, quality news. Reporters work with sensitivity, calm, and care and don't rush their work.
- Inclusion. Everyone gets a say in how we run.
Since launching in March 2023, The Gazette has become a trusted source of high-quality journalism, covering politics, the environment, arts and culture, history, and more. Our commitment to impactful journalism goes beyond just reporting the news. We take pride in our investigations and solutions-focused reporting, delving deep into issues that matter most to our community.
Other achievements
- Successfully raised over £8,000 in grants and donations
- Set a fair rate for freelance writers and contributors
- Built a website that's disability friendly and without ads
- Organised events for both members and non-members that are well attended and useful
- Invited to speak on BBC Radio Leicester about the issues surrounding local journalism
- Conversations with hundreds of charities, local groups, business leaders, journalists, and local people
- Lobbying efforts in collaboration with other organisations like Co-operatives UK, around legislation affecting social enterprises.
Why The Gazette?
Ideally, journalism would represent everyone.
We should be able to tell our stories with our own voices and come together as a community to amplify disadvantaged, marginalised and under-represented people. We need newspapers created with and for the people who feel like they’re being let down by existing media.
In reality, current local newspapers in the city don’t go far enough to spark positive change. This is, in part, because they’re owned by a handful of wealthy individuals and organisations. Some of the reporting they do is good, but these newspapers used to care about the community. They informed, safeguarded, and grew every facet of local life. They’ve now transformed into money-making schemes. The newsroom’s dominating voice has become advertising income. A newspaper’s revenue is proportional to the number of website clicks it receives. Journalists write dozens of pieces a day to get our attention, and they use clickbait and strikingly non-local subject matters to do so.
That isn’t sustainable.
The consequences of this is that the quality of journalism isn’t as it should be, with recycled press releases and paid for advertorials becoming the norm. The current model fails to represent people without a voice, prevents newspapers from investigating stories in detail, and generally doesn’t offer any solutions to the problems facing the city.
“I'm full of admiration for the team behind The Gazette. They have rapidly become an important voice for Leicester, helping fill the gap in local media” – Geoff Rowe, founder, Leicester Comedy Festival
How does The Gazette work?
Free to access
We publish several articles a week, with most being free to access. Members get bonus articles, a member-only newsletter, and access to commenting. Readers can subscribe to our free newsletter, published every two weeks.
Funding
We are a small, not-for-profit team. Our funding comes from grants, membership contributions, and donations.
Democracy
We are owned and run by our members. There are places reserved on the board for both journalists and readers. This means that when you become a member of The Gazette, you become more than just a subscriber – you become a co-owner of your local newspaper and help it grow.
Every year, readers can stand for election to our board at our Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM is where we make big decisions about the future of The Gazette. This is run online and in-person.
Membership
Membership is our bread and butter. Our mission is to become member funded. You can be involved as much or as little as you like. Throughout the year we regularly run polls on what we should write about. But you can also turn up to events, volunteer your time, or write for us (and get paid).
“The Gazette's co-operative, not-for-profit model is breaking new ground and working to fill the gap left by the decline of traditional media” – Nick Carter, ex-Leicester Mercury editor
Meet the team
Rhys Everquill
Managing editor
Rhys is a seasoned journalist, writer, and media consultant. He organises The Gazette's editorial coverage and daily operations.
He/Him
Emma Guy
Commissioning editor
Emma is an award-winning investigative journalist. She works with The Gazette's writers and volunteers.
She/Her
Megan Lupton
Communications coordinator
Megan is a writer and podcaster. She ensures that The Gazette's work has impact in Leicester and beyond.
She/They
Empower a new type of local media
Your support ensures more investigative and solutions-based reporting that matters, helping us continue to deliver high-quality journalism.
