When Sir Keir Starmer resigned as Holborn & St Pancras’ MP after eleven years, four months, and seven Prime Ministers, it wasn’t the BBC, or even The Guardian that broke the story. The former Prime Minister chose his local newspaper, a small North London outlet, with a circulation of fewer than 70,000.
Perhaps that is slightly facetious framing. After all, The Camden New Journal is a well-respected mainstay of local news. The independent publication is recognised amongst the UK’s best local papers, captivating audiences with strong local reporting covering everything from investigations into unused properties in Kentish Town to the altruistic felines, ferrets and alpacas donating blood in Camden. The CNJ is an example of the power of local journalism: a space where trust, relevance, and community intersect.
Local journalism is an often-overlooked part of a print strategy. Local news titles reach over 77% of UK adults monthly across print and digital formats and 80% of UK adults trust the information they see in their local media. Local relevance and consumer trust together build credibility with audiences. Beyond buying reach, as Newsworks’ The Cultural Relevance Effect highlights, brands investing in trusted news are associating with conversations and communities that matter to their consumers. This can also drive strong commercial outcomes, with cultural relevance contributing 15% to UK sales. This impact extends to digital editions of local news, with Reach finding that adverts placed on local news sites delivered higher feelings of trust and connection (+26%) when compared with other digital media.
By reputation, local news is often associated with clickbait sensationalism and petty gossip, making it easy to overlook as an advertising channel. Not all titles are created equal, but strong media planning can help advertisers identify titles that deliver genuine value. As a founding member of The News Alliance, the7stars champions advertising that can deliver effectiveness and trust. Its four-point manifesto amplifies the role news environments play in the media ecosystem: support trusted journalism, invest in news environments, rethink outdated approaches to brand safety, and ensure blocklists do not inadvertently penalise quality news content.
Just four months before Starmer’s Camden New Journal resignation, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport unveiled Amplify: The Local Media Action Plan, a timely £12M two-year fund to help local news publishers transition to online-first business models. Local media plays a vital role in informing communities, scrutinising public institutions, and reflecting local voices. But, as print circulations decline, local news has been the worst impacted. As cited by DCMS, 37 local authorities in the UK exist in ‘News deserts’, with no dedicated print, online, radio, or TV outlets. The Camden New Journal itself received a 'rescue' funding package of an undisclosed sum from green energy entrepreneur Dale Vince in September. This points to a new ownership structure, the CNJ having been owned co-operatively by its journalists since its founding in 1982. The title, which is currently loss-making, stated that whilst the investment is a lifeline, it still relies on advertising investment 'to secure its future’.
If advertisers want trusted news environments to exist tomorrow, we need to invest in them today. At a time when trust is increasingly scarce, supporting quality local news is an opportunity for brands to live t
