By Hannah Wiles
A Leicester newspaper co-founded by DMU graduates has released its first print edition ahead of a range of projects.
Independent publication The Leicester Gazette plans to introduce new ideas, opportunities, and launches for readers as the year unfolds.
Founded by Rhys Everquill, Emma Guy and Megan Lupton, the website was launched in March 2023 after a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2022.
Emma said: “There’s a gap in Leicester’s journalism scene and we want to fill that gap.
“We don’t do news. We do investigations, features and podcasting, to offer something different and feasible to run, as originally it was just the three of us.”
The Gazette retains a non-partisan approach, stressing that the paper focuses on human rights and Leicester’s community.
The first print edition was released in December last year, with free copies being placed around Leicester in waiting rooms, cafes and community centres.
Megan added: “Since we launched, we wanted to do print and people were shocked when we went to print.”
A total of 5,000 copies of the winter 2025-26 issue have been distributed across Leicester.
Run by a small team, freelancers and volunteers can petition stories and write for the paper.
Emma said: “This industry has a lot of barriers but we welcome people in.
“Enthusiasm is all we ask for.”
Co-founders Rhys and Emma both studied the investigative journalism master’s course at DMU.
“The skills and experience we gained on that course were invaluable, and of course without that degree we wouldn’t have met, and the Gazette wouldn’t exist,” Rhys said.
They re-connected after university and then had the idea to launch a newsletter called the Leicester Citizen.
Megan joined the team shortly after, and they rebranded to the Leicester Gazette in 2024 when the paper expanded to Leicestershire.
Going forward, the future is looking bright for the team.
This year they have plans for a free app, quarterly print editions and the launch of Subtext, an educational charity funded by Emma after she won the Women in Journalism’s Georgina Henry Award last year.
The charity will work closely with the Gazette to provide media literacy workshops in the Midlands.
“This started with us sitting in a café talking about our goals,” Megan said.
Rhys added: “It’s nice to realise the work has paid off.”
To read the Leicester Gazette and find out more about the team’s work, visit their official website at https://www.leicester.news/.
