New Scottish collaborative publication launched to "lessen the load" on independent titles

18 Scottish independent local and hyperlocal news publishers have teamed up to launch a collaborative journalism publication.

The Scottish Beacon aims to make life easier for stretched newsrooms by sharing resources and amplifying news articles.

Publications involved at this stage include The Bellman, Broughton Spurtle, C&B News, Clydesider, Crail Matters, The Edinburgh Reporter, Forres Local, The Ileach, Glenkens Gazette, Greater Govanhill, The Hawick Paper, Inverclyde Now, The Lochside Press, Midlothian View, Migrant Women Press, The Orkney News and Shetland News.

That covers a range of non-profit and for-profit companies; print, digital and mixed publication models; and those based all across the country. But what they all have in common is independent ownership and a focus on producing original journalism in the public interest for local communities. More publications are expected to join.

"Being an independent publisher can be a lonely - and sometimes thankless - position. But it can also be the most rewarding job in the world," says Rhiannon J Davies, founder of the Scottish Beacon project and participating community magazine Greater Govanhill, in an email to Journalism.co.uk.

"Many people are already finding the benefits through the network, whether that's asking for advice around media law, discussing issues that people are facing in their patch, or skill-sharing and making new connections.

"We also want to raise awareness about the value of community-based local journalism, and generate income for our partners to improve the long-term sustainability of local news across Scotland."

Read more: The Ferret and Greater Govanhill open a shop front newsroom together in Glasgow's Govanhill to reconnect with locals

Scottish Beacon is inspired by similar models in the US, which have provided direct advice and resources to help get the project moving. These include The Colorado News Collaborative, 100 Days in Appalachia, Word in Black, The Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, Broke in Philly, The New Jersey Community Media Collective and Chicago Independent Media Alliance.

These conversations have provided many useful starting tips, like tailoring the commitments of each publication to what they can reasonably spare. Collaborators agree to a memorandum of understanding - this is not a legally binding document, but a voluntary statement of intent of what parties will offer.

"One of the biggest concerns shared by all local publishers is lack of time and resources," she continues.

"We're therefore keen to ensure that this project doesn't place any additional burdens upon partners, but instead can help to lighten the load. We also recognise that there's no such thing as a one size fits all - participating publishers are all completely different in terms of structure, resources, focus and capacity. So it's about finding out what works for each partner."

Davies expects the running costs of The Scottish Beacon to remain small, and it will divide generated income among members. Revenue will come from a voluntary membership model where the public can set their own recurring donations, plus commercial partnerships, advertising and grant funding.

It has engaged the membership platform beabee - created by The Bristol Cable, CORRECTIV and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism - to get a headstart on its reader revenue strategy. This will also get readers involved in stories and determine future projects.

"One of the things that I particularly like about it is how you can easily build in - and connect - polls, surveys, questions etc," says Davies.

"We want our membership to be engaged, and as they will be geographically disparate, this is a way to bring people in but also to connect communities."

Free daily newsletter

If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).