Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP Drew Hendry adds weight to calls for Facebook owner Meta to halt its move to axe £13.5 million journalism funding
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A HIGHLAND MP has issued an urgent plea in Westminster for action to safeguard the roles of more than 100 trainee journalists across the UK – including a number in the Highlands.
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP Drew Hendry has lodged an early day motion in Westminster calling on Facebook owner Meta to reverse its plan to axe funding for the Community News Project (CNP).
The CNP, which has been in place since 2018, was set up using funding from Meta to create trainee and community journalism roles in areas across the UK. This was done in a bid to safeguard local news gathering in a world where the presence of social media giants has led to a loss of local reporting in countries across the world.
Over the past five years, Meta has contributed £13.5 million in the UK to ensure the training of aspiring journalists with no previous experience in the sector.
Some 100 positions have been created and funded across the UK using the funds.
Related: Highland MP asks UK Government to protect trainee journalists
But Meta has now announced it will pull its funding from this December, and there are fears that local and regional news that might otherwise go unreported could be impacted.
It has also created uncertainty for those in the roles, with concerns raised over whether all newsrooms will be financially able to step in and create permanent roles for the trainees at a time of unprecedented economic challenge in the local media landscape.
The news has already seen Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP, Jamie Stone, write to the UK government urging it to step in to support trainee journalists
And now Drew Hendry has lodged an early day motion calling on social media giants and other major digital platforms to step up and support the initiative.
He has also written to the UK's media minister urging action. In the letter, Mr Hendry highlighted the impact one such CNP trainee has had in the Highlands in her role at Highland News and Media.
"Our local publisher, Highland News & Media, is one of many that benefited from the CNP," he told the minister. "They've been able to hire trainees who've made a big difference. One such trainee is Iona MacDonald. At just 17, she's already done impressive work, like her investigation into underage vaping in Inverness. But with Meta's decision, her future, and that of many others, is uncertain.
"Meta has given £13.5 million to the CNP over five years. Without their support, many trainee reporters may have to leave journalism. This is a huge loss, especially when local media faces tough economic times.
"Digital platforms like Meta play a significant role in our news ecosystem. But some of their decisions, including how they've reacted to regulations in Canada and Australia, show that there's an imbalance. Our local news teams should be fairly compensated for their vital work.
"I know you will share my view that local journalists matter greatly to our communities – they connect people with the issues affecting them, their families, and the community. Therefore, I am asking you to raise this matter directly with Meta and urge them to rethink this decision and consider what additional support the government can offer to protect this important project."
Earlier this week, Mr Stone said the CNP had helped to improve local news by providing vital funding to boost grassroots coverage of community issues and also singled out the positive impact that trainee's like Iona had had since they stepped into their roles.
Commenting, Mr Stone said: "The Community News Project has not only given many young people the opportunity to explore journalism as a career but has also improved local news through its focus on grassroots community issues.
"Without it, 17-year-old Iona MacDonald may not have been able to carry out the extraordinary work she has during her time as a trainee for Highland News and Media. Alongside her studies, Iona has worked on the SNP leadership contest and met with senior politicians, while also reporting on important issues that affect small communities in the Far North. Her work is a testament to the depth and breadth of the training she has received as a result of this funding.
"I have written to the Government to implore that support is put in place to protect these traineeships if Meta does go ahead with its decision to cease funding. I have also highlighted the importance of levelling the playing field between platforms and publishers in the upcoming Digital Markets, Consumers and Competitions Bill."
