For working journalists
We built a newsroom in software.
Now it needs journalists to put it through its paces.
Over the past year we’ve developed a set of tools that let a small team do what a newsroom of twenty or thirty journalists used to — built and proven on real, published stories. We’re expanding into full real-world testing now, and we want practising journalists using it, pushing it, and telling us what they find.
Local News Fund
A UK government funding opportunity
We are currently preparing a bid to the UK Government’s new Local News Fund, with applications closing in the first week of August. That deadline adds real urgency to some of what’s below: we will be submitting a bid that includes paid testing and consulting roles.
If that’s of interest, say so when you get in touch. Given the timing, we’ll want to move quickly — a short call within a few days to see whether it’s a fit, for both of us.
A working system that needs testing
The philosophy
The desks journalism lost, rebuilt for a much smaller team
A local newsroom used to have a correspondent at the town hall, a subs desk, and someone reading every planning application. Most of that disappeared as budgets shrank. These tools hand it back — not to a newsroom of twenty or thirty, but a team a fraction of that size. The judgement stays entirely journalistic.
The development
A live system, not a concept
This has been refined for a year running actual daily coverage — real council meetings, real FOI requests, real deadlines. It works, and readers have felt the difference. Now we’re expanding testing across more journalists, more patches, and more working styles.
Where it’s headed
From one title to many
The plan is to make this available as a platform that others can use to launch local titles of their own — wherever they are, and whoever’s backing them. Before that happens at scale, the priority is testing from outside our own newsroom.
Pick whichever fits — they’re not exclusive
Hands on
Test it
Use the tools yourself on a real or practice story, the way you’d actually work. Tell us honestly what’s working well, what’s getting in the way, and what needs fixing. You’ll be using the same tools we use every day.
- No technical background needed — just news judgement
- An hour or two to start
- We’ll walk you through it first
Strategic
Advise on where it should go
Tell us what a proper newsroom would still do that this doesn’t, and what it would take to get this ready for other publishers to rely on.
- A conversation, not a commitment
- Especially useful if something gives you pause
- All feedback is valuable, however brief
Looking ahead
Run your own title
If you’ve ever thought about running proper local coverage in your own patch, we want to know. This is how we’re establishing real market demand, and what the system needs to deliver.
- No commitment now — an expression of interest
- Helps us build exactly the right thing
- First conversations expected later this year
Interested in more than one? Say so — most people will be.
Get involved
Join the group
The fastest way in is WhatsApp — tap to join, tell us which of the above interests you (test, advise, future title, paid role — any or all), and we’ll take it from there.
On a desktop? Scan to join from your phone.