Judith Townend







'Charitable journalism': Oxymoron or opportunity?

Resource intensive journalism considered likely to attract small audiences has been particularly vulnerable to industry cuts. Could charitable funding help reinvigorate topics neglected by commercial media? And what are the benefits and drawbacks?

Keywords: charitable journalism, media plurality, public interest journalism, media policy and regulation


References

  1. Barnett, S. and Townend, J. (eds) (2015) Media power and plurality: From hyperlocal to high-level policy, Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business, London, Palgrave Macmillan
  2. Charity Commission (2008) Speaking out: Guidance on campaigning and political activity by charities. Available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/speaking-out-guidance-on-campaigning-and-political-activity-by-charities-cc9/speaking-out-guidance-on-campaigning-and-political-activity-by-charities, accessed on 15 September 2015
  3. Charity Commission (2015) 1158683: FULL FACT, Charitycommission.gov.uk. Available online at http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityFramework.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1158683&SubsidiaryNumber=0, accessed on 15 September 2015
  4. Charity Law Association (CLA) (2011) Written evidence to House of Lords select committee on communications' inquiry into the future of investigative journalism. Available online at http://charitylawassociation.org.uk/api/attachment/576?_output=binary, accessed on 15 September 2015
  5. Heawood, J., McCarthy, R., Simanowitz, L. and Overton, I. (2012) Good news? A report by the Advisory Group on Journalism and Charitable Status: Representation to the Leveson Inquiry. Available online at http://www.mediaplurality.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Leveson-submission-Good-News.pdf, accessed on 15 September 2015
  6. House of Lords (2012) House of Lords Communications Committee Third Report: The future of investigative journalism, House of Lords. Available online at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201012/ldselect/ldcomuni/256/25602.htm, accessed on 15 September 2015
  7. Parliament.uk (2012) Daily Hansard, 25 July 2012: Column GC305, Parliament.uk. Available online at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldhansrd/text/120725-gc0001.htm#12072541000330, accessed on 15 September 2015
  8. Picard, R. G. (2011) Charitable ownership and trusts in news organisations, Levy, D. A. L. and Picard, R. G. (eds) Is there a better structure for the news providers? The potential in charitable and trust ownership, Oxford, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
  9. Magrath, P. (2012) Law reporting in a new media age, ICLR. Available online at http://www.iclr.co.uk/law-reporting-in-a-new-media-age/, accessed on 14 January 2016
  10. McKinney, C. J. (2015) Full Fact on family law, The Transparency Project. Available online at http://www.transparencyproject.org.uk/full-fact-on-family-law/, accessed on 14 January 2016
  11. Sharman, A. (2014) Full Fact gets charity status after being rejected twice, Civilsociety.co.uk. Available online at http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/news/content/18563/full_fact_gets_charity_status_after_being_rejected_twice, accessed on 15 September 2015
  12. Townend, J. (2016) The United Kingdom: The impact of charity and tax law/regulation on not-for-profit news organizations, Picard, R.G., Belair-Gagnon, V. and Ranchordás, S. (eds) The impact of charity and tax law/regulation on not-for-profit news organizations, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford; Information Society Project, Yale Law School

Note on the contributor

Judith Townend is lecturer in information law and policy and director of the Information Law and Policy Centre at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London. She is co-editor (with Steven Barnett) of Media power and plurality (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) and her interdisciplinary research focuses on access to information and, more broadly, the development of media and information law and policy in society.