The Bylines Network - related to but not controlled by the Byline Times, as both are now eager to stress - is the latest leftwing organisation to get a bundle of cash from the government. £266,221 to be precise, so that it can continue covering local news.
But how much local news does it cover and from what angle? I had a look for GB News (£)...
I have looked at every article published by the ten local Byline websites in the last seven days. There are articles about the Spanish elections, Iran, Sudan and the US midterms (“Congratulations to us all, Everywhere!”). There are several articles about rejoining or more closely aligning with the EU. There are articles about drones, gardens, the Second World War, climate change, Nigel Farage, misogyny, birds of prey, VAR, autism and how to throw an environmentally friendly party.
Some of this has a local angle, but most of it does not, and there is not very much of any of it. Central Bylines and Kent & Sussex Bylines haven’t published anything in the last week. West England Bylines hasn’t published any local news since 3 November when it announced a day of action from Extinction Rebellion. The closest Bylines East Anglia has got to regional news gathering in the last week is an article “based on a press release by the National Trust” about some ponds being restored (it also has an article about saving energy “based on a press release from Our Power Community Energy, compiled with assistance from AI tools”). The only news specific to Wales on the Bylines Cymru website, aside from an article about an eagle being reintroduced, involves Brexit and is written by the Secretary of the pro-EU campaign group Wales for Europe. Bylines North-West has done a better job of local journalism insofar as it has reported that the Queer Youth Summit will be coming to Manchester in 2027.
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