By Flynn Jacobs-Holden
Three graduates who founded a not-for-profit independent newspaper in Leicester are celebrating its first year in business.
The Great Central Gazette was launched in March 2023 with the mission to revitalise local journalism in Leicester, by journalists Rhys Everquill, Emma Guy and Megan Lupton.
Set up as a not-for-profit, it employs a co-operative model for journalism, where members can choose to support the paper through a monthly contribution.
In return, members become co-owners of The Great Central Gazette, can steer the paper’s editorial direction, elect board members and receive voting rights at its annual meeting.
“We wanted to give members control over how their stories are told,” said Megan, Communications Coordinator at The Gazette.
“It has allowed us to work directly with the community to truly understand the issues they are facing.
“The co-operative model also meant we would never rely on big shareholders or business investments, keeping journalism local and independent.”
The Gazette celebrated its first anniversary in March, when it held its Annual General Meeting, where members voted on the paper’s editorial direction, a fundraising policy, and more.
“The turnout was fantastic and the discussions we had were really insightful,” added Megan.
“Attendees offered lots of great ideas for the sort of stories they wanted told in the Gazette, particularly running up to the General Election.”
The General Election on Thursday, July 4, will be the paper’s main focus for the year, with plans for a print edition having to be put on hold.
“[It] was a difficult decision to make, but it will ultimately allow us to produce public interest journalism,” Megan explained.
“By the next annual general meeting we hope to have a clearer plan for our print edition.”
