How does a print-first magazine not only survive for 15 years but also thrive by expanding into digital, podcasts, and now video?
New Eastern Europe has built a dedicated global audience by being the go-to English-language source on Central and Eastern Europe. In our latest FixEd episode—now in video for the first time!—we sit down with Editor-in-Chief Adam Reichardt to dissect their multi-product strategy.
We discuss how their flagship print magazine anchors their brand, how they monetise a niche audience, and the key lessons learned from 15 years in publishing.
Watch the full interview on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts:
▶️ Youtube
🎵 Spotify
🍏 Apple
OR other platforms
Note: this conversation is part of a series produced under the MOST project. Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism (MOST) is a European Commission initiative that connects six non-profit digital media outlets across Europe. The Fix works as a mentor and consultant on product, audience, and business development for partner newsrooms.
New Eastern Europe has built a dedicated global audience by being the go-to English-language source on Central and Eastern Europe. In our latest FixEd episode—now in video for the first time!—we sit down with Editor-in-Chief Adam Reichardt to dissect their multi-product strategy.
We discuss how their flagship print magazine anchors their brand, how they monetise a niche audience, and the key lessons learned from 15 years in publishing.
Watch the full interview on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts:
▶️ Youtube
🎵 Spotify
🍏 Apple
OR other platforms
Note: this conversation is part of a series produced under the MOST project. Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism (MOST) is a European Commission initiative that connects six non-profit digital media outlets across Europe. The Fix works as a mentor and consultant on product, audience, and business development for partner newsrooms.
YouTube
Building a Multi-Product Media Brand, with New Eastern Europe’s Adam Reichardt
New Eastern Europe is one of the very few English-language outlets dedicated to politics and society in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Fix’s Anton Protsiuk spoke with editor-in-chief Adam Reichardt about how New Eastern Europe built a sustainable niche…
The Fix’s Anton Protsiuk spoke with editor-in-chief Adam Reichardt about how New Eastern Europe built a sustainable niche…
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For journalism students in Russia, the 2022 invasion of Ukraine didn't just change the world—it fundamentally altered their education and the very definition of their chosen profession. We spoke with several students (using pseudonyms for their safety) to understand what it's like to learn journalism in a country where free speech is severely suppressed.
◼ The classroom has become a space of fear and avoidance. "It was downright scary to even mention THAT topic in front of teachers," one student named Nastya recalls. Another, Vladimir, saw his curriculum change as liberal professors were replaced by instructors with military backgrounds. One assignment required a video about the "new regions"—the official term for occupied Ukrainian territories.
◼ For some, like a student named Kira, the war was the very reason she enrolled. "My understanding of the profession, of what I needed to remain human, all of this suddenly became clear and crystallised in journalism,” she says. Yet, she finds her program stuck in the past, with professors who "teach us to compromise."
◼ Another student, Katya, believes many of her professors are privately against the war but are afraid of being reported by their own students. "People who still want to produce and support honest journalism remain in universities," she says. "It’s just that the profession is in hiding."
◼ She offers a stark choice facing her generation: "If you enter journalism in Russia today, sooner or later, you have to choose between vanity and safety."
◼ Their futures hang in the balance. Some have already left the field. Others are considering emigration or carving out careers in "less risky" beats like culture or business, where the war can be more easily avoided. To gain the skills their universities can no longer offer, they seek out alternative training from NGOs and independent media schools.
◼ These testimonies reveal a generation of aspiring journalists grappling with impossible choices, trying to uphold journalistic integrity in a system designed to crush it.
❓ What is the long-term impact on a country's media landscape when its next generation of journalists is trained in an environment of censorship and fear?
📍 Read the full, in-depth report on our website.
◼ The classroom has become a space of fear and avoidance. "It was downright scary to even mention THAT topic in front of teachers," one student named Nastya recalls. Another, Vladimir, saw his curriculum change as liberal professors were replaced by instructors with military backgrounds. One assignment required a video about the "new regions"—the official term for occupied Ukrainian territories.
◼ For some, like a student named Kira, the war was the very reason she enrolled. "My understanding of the profession, of what I needed to remain human, all of this suddenly became clear and crystallised in journalism,” she says. Yet, she finds her program stuck in the past, with professors who "teach us to compromise."
◼ Another student, Katya, believes many of her professors are privately against the war but are afraid of being reported by their own students. "People who still want to produce and support honest journalism remain in universities," she says. "It’s just that the profession is in hiding."
◼ She offers a stark choice facing her generation: "If you enter journalism in Russia today, sooner or later, you have to choose between vanity and safety."
◼ Their futures hang in the balance. Some have already left the field. Others are considering emigration or carving out careers in "less risky" beats like culture or business, where the war can be more easily avoided. To gain the skills their universities can no longer offer, they seek out alternative training from NGOs and independent media schools.
◼ These testimonies reveal a generation of aspiring journalists grappling with impossible choices, trying to uphold journalistic integrity in a system designed to crush it.
❓ What is the long-term impact on a country's media landscape when its next generation of journalists is trained in an environment of censorship and fear?
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The Fix
What's it like to study journalism in Russia during wartime censorship?
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine led to severe suppression of free speech, forcing many journalists to leave the country.
📰 Last week, we learned how ultra-local free newspapers are flourishing in Switzerland despite the media crisis and how Russian independent media are doing a year after the USAID shutdown.
📍 Check out ways you can support our work with membership options.
📍 Sign up to get the latest media-related news in your mailbox every Monday!
📍 Check out ways you can support our work with membership options.
📍 Sign up to get the latest media-related news in your mailbox every Monday!
thefix.media
The Fix
Thoughts, stories and ideas.
As crises dominate the headlines, many readers are tuning out. Romain Chauvet spoke with Libération and The Objective, two European media outlets, about their moves to embrace more positive news.
The Fix
In a more anxious world, European media outlets turn to positive news
War and crises dominate the headlines, but many readers are tuning out. To fight news fatigue, some European publishers are turning to positive news.
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Ukraine’s public broadcaster transitioned from a state-owned company to a leading independent broadcaster within a decade. Hleb Liapeika spoke with a member of its managing board, Dmytro Kozlov, and profiled Suspilne Ukraine.
The Fix
How Suspilne Ukraine transitioned from a state-owned legacy to a trusted public broadcaster
The public broadcaster relies on a hyper-local network to keep Ukrainians informed and maintain 86% trust level among its news consumers amidst the war.
📢 We’ve launched the Crisis Leadership Simulation website!
For the past few years, we’ve been building and testing a hands-on leadership simulation for media teams and organisations.
Used across trainings, workshops, and international programmes, it helps teams move beyond theory – into real decision-making under pressure. Programme directors use it to digitalise their formats and recreate high-stakes environments, and participants practise leadership, navigate complex trade-offs, and work through real team dynamics.
We’ve already run it as part of the SSE Riga programme, used it at the IPI Media Blend Hackathon, and tested it with European media, Ukrainian NGOs, and students at Taras Shevchenko University – alongside partners like UN Women and FOJO.
Now, Crisis Leadership Simulation finally has a dedicated website – with a clear overview of how it works and what participants gain.
If you run a media programme, hackathon, or team training – this is built for you.
Check it out here.
For the past few years, we’ve been building and testing a hands-on leadership simulation for media teams and organisations.
Used across trainings, workshops, and international programmes, it helps teams move beyond theory – into real decision-making under pressure. Programme directors use it to digitalise their formats and recreate high-stakes environments, and participants practise leadership, navigate complex trade-offs, and work through real team dynamics.
We’ve already run it as part of the SSE Riga programme, used it at the IPI Media Blend Hackathon, and tested it with European media, Ukrainian NGOs, and students at Taras Shevchenko University – alongside partners like UN Women and FOJO.
Now, Crisis Leadership Simulation finally has a dedicated website – with a clear overview of how it works and what participants gain.
If you run a media programme, hackathon, or team training – this is built for you.
Check it out here.
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CNN isn’t the only international outlet to have entered Iran since the start of the war – several Spanish journalists have as well. The Fix’s Romain Chauvet interviewed Joan Roura from Catalan broadcaster TV3 about the logistics of getting to Iran, censorship, allegations of bias, and more.
The Fix
“Spain’s position helped us get visas” – Joan Roura, Catalan journalist on reporting in Iran
CNN isn’t the only international outlet that has been able to enter Iran since the start of the war. Several Spanish journalists have as well. The Fix spoke with one of them.
📰 Last week, we learned how Spanish journalists reported on the ground from Iran, covered the transformation of Ukraine's public broadcaster, and explored how European media outlets turn to positive news.
📍 Check out ways you can support our work with membership options.
📍 Sign up to get the latest media-related news in your mailbox every Monday!
📍 Check out ways you can support our work with membership options.
📍 Sign up to get the latest media-related news in your mailbox every Monday!
thefix.media
The Fix
Thoughts, stories and ideas.
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Freelance journalism is a precarious job, particularly in Italy. In his latest piece for The Fix, Alessandro Pilo profiles FADA, a collective that emerged to replace competition with mutual aid.
The Fix
How the FADA collective is pushing back against Italy’s broken freelance media model
An Italian journalism collective is experimenting with solidarity and mutual support as a way of working
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In her first article for The Fix, Alesia Rudnik analysed eight autocracies with limited internet freedoms and extensive internet shutdowns, from Russia to Myanmar, to understand how censorship works worldwide.
The Fix
Connected but shut down: Eight autocracies and their informational (un)freedom
There is no blueprint for repression – but there may be a blueprint for a solution
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🎓 The most effective leadership training happens on the job. Theoretical education only goes so far in preparing you for the high-stakes reality of a newsroom.
To bridge that gap, we developed the Media Simulation Game. It’s an immersive, role-play–driven training where teams face realistic editorial challenges in a safe environment.
In our latest FixEd podcast episode, Orsolya Seregély sits down with Alina Afonchanka and Alex Vorobev to discuss how we built this digital product and how it’s helping educators and newsrooms prepare the next generation of media leaders.
Watch the full interview on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts:
▶️ Youtube
🎵 Spotify
🍏 Apple
OR other platforms
To bridge that gap, we developed the Media Simulation Game. It’s an immersive, role-play–driven training where teams face realistic editorial challenges in a safe environment.
In our latest FixEd podcast episode, Orsolya Seregély sits down with Alina Afonchanka and Alex Vorobev to discuss how we built this digital product and how it’s helping educators and newsrooms prepare the next generation of media leaders.
Watch the full interview on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts:
▶️ Youtube
🎵 Spotify
🍏 Apple
OR other platforms
YouTube
A look at The Fix’s media simulation game / How media teams practise leadership under pressure?
What does it actually take to prepare media teams for leadership under pressure?
In this episode, Orsolya Seregély talks with Alina Afonchanka (Senior Associate at the Fix Research and Advisory) and Alex Vorobev (Junior Project Lead) about The Fix’s immersive…
In this episode, Orsolya Seregély talks with Alina Afonchanka (Senior Associate at the Fix Research and Advisory) and Alex Vorobev (Junior Project Lead) about The Fix’s immersive…
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Once considered dead, paper magazines have been enjoying growing popularity lately. From independent publishers to big media companies, everyone hopes to target a highly engaged audience.
◼ “Print is certainly not dead,” said Ross Miller, co-founder of the new British magazine Dayhike. “One of our main goals is to show people how varied and accessible the UK outdoors really is, sharing knowledge, tips, and stories to inspire people.”
◼ Debbie Jenkins, founder of the new magazine Postnoted, explains her move to print: “I kept watching brilliant ideas from experts vanish in the social media scroll within minutes.”
◼ Postnoted then emerges as an antidote. “Print slows the reader down, raises the signal over the noise, and turns expert thinking into an asset that lasts and exists,” explained Jenkins.
◼ Even established digital publishers are launching into print. “Even before launching AOC as an online daily of ideas, we had the intuition that to consolidate it, we would need to plan a more physical presence for our title,” explained Sylvain Bourmeau, director of French media outlet AOC that publishes analysis, opinion and cultural criticism.
◼ Why now? “In this mad digital world, people are starting to crave moments of connection, disconnecting from devices to reconnect with people and the natural world around them. And print ties into that,” said Miller.
◼ Jenkins highlights a shift in consumer desire: “Disposable print is fading. Premium, purposeful print is rising. Readers want fewer, better objects, supported by a digital twin for access and search.”
◼ Print also offers a solution to a growing digital problem. “It may seem paradoxical, but one of the biggest problems with digital media is its distribution. It's not easy to reach potentially interested readers,” explained Bourmeau.
◼ The results are tangible. “The best proof is that people who are very involved in digital technology wrote to us to tell us that they discovered AOC through the print edition... A new audience is being created thanks to the print edition of AOC.”
❓This trend suggests a deeper craving for tangible, focused media experiences. In an era of infinite scroll and algorithmic feeds, what unique value does a physical, curated object hold for you as a reader?
📍 Read the full deep-dive on our website here.
◼ “Print is certainly not dead,” said Ross Miller, co-founder of the new British magazine Dayhike. “One of our main goals is to show people how varied and accessible the UK outdoors really is, sharing knowledge, tips, and stories to inspire people.”
◼ Debbie Jenkins, founder of the new magazine Postnoted, explains her move to print: “I kept watching brilliant ideas from experts vanish in the social media scroll within minutes.”
◼ Postnoted then emerges as an antidote. “Print slows the reader down, raises the signal over the noise, and turns expert thinking into an asset that lasts and exists,” explained Jenkins.
◼ Even established digital publishers are launching into print. “Even before launching AOC as an online daily of ideas, we had the intuition that to consolidate it, we would need to plan a more physical presence for our title,” explained Sylvain Bourmeau, director of French media outlet AOC that publishes analysis, opinion and cultural criticism.
◼ Why now? “In this mad digital world, people are starting to crave moments of connection, disconnecting from devices to reconnect with people and the natural world around them. And print ties into that,” said Miller.
◼ Jenkins highlights a shift in consumer desire: “Disposable print is fading. Premium, purposeful print is rising. Readers want fewer, better objects, supported by a digital twin for access and search.”
◼ Print also offers a solution to a growing digital problem. “It may seem paradoxical, but one of the biggest problems with digital media is its distribution. It's not easy to reach potentially interested readers,” explained Bourmeau.
◼ The results are tangible. “The best proof is that people who are very involved in digital technology wrote to us to tell us that they discovered AOC through the print edition... A new audience is being created thanks to the print edition of AOC.”
❓This trend suggests a deeper craving for tangible, focused media experiences. In an era of infinite scroll and algorithmic feeds, what unique value does a physical, curated object hold for you as a reader?
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The Fix
“A new audience is being created” – Print comeback, a long-term trend?
At a time when everything goes through screens and algorithms, print offers a breath and another way to connect and reach new audiences.
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We profiled Frontliner, Ukraine’s outlet that reports on the Russian-Ukrainian war for Ukrainians and the world. Anton Protsiuk spoke with Andrii Dubchak and Yelyzaveta Kovtun about @Frontliner_ua’s model and why war reporting has become more dangerous in the past couple of years.
The Fix
How Frontliner built a model for war reporting in Ukraine
Frontline reporting has changed drastically – and became much more dangerous – throughout Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.
Two months into Russia’s blocking of the popular messaging app Telegram, independent media outlets try to stay in touch with their audiences by offering free tools to bypass censorship, Veronica Snoj writes in her latest article for The Fix.
The Fix
How independent media builds loyalty amid Russia’s Telegram blocking
Independent media outlets started offering free tools to bypass censorship, but the range of these tools needs to grow much further.
Enhancing audio articles with Gen AI: Three interesting use cases
While text-to-speech audio for articles is becoming a standard feature, leading publishers are now using Generative AI to make the experience more personal, local, and interactive. Here's a look at three innovative use cases from prominent outlets that are reimagining the future of audio news.
1️⃣ Audio localisation
The BBC launched an audio bulletin for football news where the AI voice represents the specific dialects of fans from Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Newcastle.
Similarly, Norway's Bergens Tidende created 'The Voice of Bergen'. "Local identity is perhaps our main selling point... The initial ambition was to create the world's first cloned synthetic voice in media with a distinct local dialect," said their Development Editor, Jan Stian Vold. The audience response was immediate appreciation for the local touch.
2️⃣ Audio personalisation
With a large library of audio articles, Bergens Tidende is now using algorithms to create personalised, Spotify-style playlists for its audience. "This has opened our eyes to format personalisation," remarks Vold. "Everybody talks about content personalisation, but automatically providing users with preferred format could be a gamechanger."
Business Insider has also launched a customisable audio briefing, allowing users to "Dive Deeper" into stories that interest them. They plan to make this AI feature completely personalisable for its readers, ultimately giving the readers complete control over the way they consume news.
3️⃣ Audio interaction
Last summer, TIME launched an audio feature that uses Gen AI to present their top stories as a conversation between two bots. The script is generated from TIME's own newsletter, "The Brief," creating a personality-led experience designed to appeal to younger, news-avoidant audiences who gravitate towards conversational podcasts.
❓ These experiments show how AI can be used not just for efficiency, but to create more engaging and accessible user experiences. As audio becomes a key part of the daily news routine, which of these innovations—localisation, personalisation, or interaction—holds the most promise for the future of media?
📍 Read the full deep-dive on our website here.
While text-to-speech audio for articles is becoming a standard feature, leading publishers are now using Generative AI to make the experience more personal, local, and interactive. Here's a look at three innovative use cases from prominent outlets that are reimagining the future of audio news.
The BBC launched an audio bulletin for football news where the AI voice represents the specific dialects of fans from Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Newcastle.
Similarly, Norway's Bergens Tidende created 'The Voice of Bergen'. "Local identity is perhaps our main selling point... The initial ambition was to create the world's first cloned synthetic voice in media with a distinct local dialect," said their Development Editor, Jan Stian Vold. The audience response was immediate appreciation for the local touch.
With a large library of audio articles, Bergens Tidende is now using algorithms to create personalised, Spotify-style playlists for its audience. "This has opened our eyes to format personalisation," remarks Vold. "Everybody talks about content personalisation, but automatically providing users with preferred format could be a gamechanger."
Business Insider has also launched a customisable audio briefing, allowing users to "Dive Deeper" into stories that interest them. They plan to make this AI feature completely personalisable for its readers, ultimately giving the readers complete control over the way they consume news.
Last summer, TIME launched an audio feature that uses Gen AI to present their top stories as a conversation between two bots. The script is generated from TIME's own newsletter, "The Brief," creating a personality-led experience designed to appeal to younger, news-avoidant audiences who gravitate towards conversational podcasts.
❓ These experiments show how AI can be used not just for efficiency, but to create more engaging and accessible user experiences. As audio becomes a key part of the daily news routine, which of these innovations—localisation, personalisation, or interaction—holds the most promise for the future of media?
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The Fix
Enhancing audio articles with Gen AI: three interesting use cases
A look at how major publishers like TIME, BBC, Bergens Tidende and Business Insider are reimagining audio articles with Gen AI.
What does it take to rebuild local journalism? The Fix's Anton Protsiuk speaks with Joshi Herrmann, who founded Mill Media six years ago and grew it into a network of reader-supported local outlets in the UK.
They discuss how Mill Media scaled a reader-funded model by prioritising quality over volume — and why publishing less might be the key to sustainable growth.
Listen to the full interview on YouTube or your favorite podcast app:
▶️ Youtube
🎵 Spotify
🍏 Apple
OR other platforms
They discuss how Mill Media scaled a reader-funded model by prioritising quality over volume — and why publishing less might be the key to sustainable growth.
Listen to the full interview on YouTube or your favorite podcast app:
▶️ Youtube
🎵 Spotify
🍏 Apple
OR other platforms
YouTube
Making local media work, with Mill Media's Joshi Herrmann
What does it take to rebuild local journalism from scratch?
In this episode, Anton Protsiuk speaks with Joshi Herrmann, who shares how Mill Media scaled a reader-funded model by focusing on quality over volume—and why publishing less might be the key to…
In this episode, Anton Protsiuk speaks with Joshi Herrmann, who shares how Mill Media scaled a reader-funded model by focusing on quality over volume—and why publishing less might be the key to…
Viktor Orbán's crushing defeat in the latest elections has triggered a wave of hope for a major overhaul of media freedom. The Fix’s Romain Chauvet spoke with Veronika Munk and Bea Bodrogi to assess the prospects of a press freedom renaissance in Hungary.
The Fix
Hope for press freedom to be restored in Hungary after Orbán’s fall
Viktor Orbán's crushing defeat in the latest elections has triggered a wave of hope for a major overhaul of media freedom and democracy in Hungary.
In Perugia, four publishers shared their membership growth playbook – Denník N’s Tomas Bella, The Guardian’s Lyz Wynn, Uusi Juttu's Antti Pikkanen, and The Kyiv Indepedent’s Zakhar Protsiuk. David Tvrdon recapped the session and picked key tactics and patterns everyone can learn from.
The Fix
Four publishers, one growth playbook: what The Guardian, Denník N, Uusi Juttu and Kyiv Independent told Perugia about reader revenue
The Guardian, Denník N, Uusi Juttu and Kyiv Independent look nothing alike, but their reader-revenue playbooks converge on three shared principles.
📢 We are launching a Media Management & Educational Series!
In the first episode, we introduce the basics of reader revenue — how media organisations can build sustainable income through subscriptions, memberships, and donations, and why understanding your audience is key to making it work.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
◾ What reader revenue is and why it matters.
◾ The difference between subscriptions, memberships, and donations.
◾ How to choose the right model and common mistakes media teams make.
Note: This episode is part of the MOST (Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism) project, a European Commission initiative where The Fix works as a mentor and consultant on product, audience, and business development for partner newsrooms.
In the first episode, we introduce the basics of reader revenue — how media organisations can build sustainable income through subscriptions, memberships, and donations, and why understanding your audience is key to making it work.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
◾ What reader revenue is and why it matters.
◾ The difference between subscriptions, memberships, and donations.
◾ How to choose the right model and common mistakes media teams make.
Note: This episode is part of the MOST (Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism) project, a European Commission initiative where The Fix works as a mentor and consultant on product, audience, and business development for partner newsrooms.
YouTube
Reader Revenue Basics for Media / How to choose the right model?
This video is the first episode in our Media Management & Educational Series, developed by The Fix within the MOST* project. It introduces the basics of reader revenue — how media organisations can build sustainable income through subscriptions, memberships…
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As local media diminishes across Europe, a new movement of hyper-local, community-centered outlets is emerging. Greater Govanhill, a free community magazine from Glasgow, shows how to reimagine journalism by serving residents and challenging negative media representation.
◼ The magazine was launched in 2020 because there was “a disconnect between how it was written about in some of the mainstream media versus the reality of actually living here,” says founder Rhiannon J Davies.
◼ Why print? “It felt important to be in print so that we could get into the hands of people who might otherwise be isolated or left out of those conversations,” said Davies.
◼ Print also offers a deliberate alternative to algorithms. "You might not think you're interested in reading an article about the history of the Roma community... but you might want to read an article about why your bins aren't getting collected. By putting those two articles side by side, you then end up reading something... you wouldn't otherwise know."
◼ The editorial process is deeply collaborative. The team organises meetings where everyone—readers, writers, volunteers—is invited to discuss what’s going on in the neighbourhood and set the theme for the next issue collectively.
◼ The magazine's mission is clear: "To take a solutions focused look at issues that affect local people. We do a lot of listening work to make sure that when we go out to community events, we go to other groups, we go and do stalls on the road, we run our own events, we do surveys, we chat to people as they come into our newsroom door… to keep reflecting back what we're hearing and making our work relevant to people.”
◼ This community-centered approach is often challenged by those who claim it strays too close to social activism. "I remember when I first launched the magazine... I could see some people in the chat going, well, it sounds very nice, but it's not journalism."
◼ Davies pushes back against that notion. "What I've learned to do over the years... is that it's actually okay to go against the grain and to do something different."
◼ "The reason that I do journalism, the reason I launched this publication is because I care about where I live and I care about the people in it. And trying to pretend that we don't care can be quite harmful, in terms of trust, in terms of relevance," she says.
❓ Greater Govanhill's model prioritises service over extraction, challenging traditional ideas of journalistic objectivity. In an era of declining trust, is a journalism rooted in community care the key to relevance and sustainability?
📍 Read the full deep-dive on our website here.
◼ The magazine was launched in 2020 because there was “a disconnect between how it was written about in some of the mainstream media versus the reality of actually living here,” says founder Rhiannon J Davies.
◼ Why print? “It felt important to be in print so that we could get into the hands of people who might otherwise be isolated or left out of those conversations,” said Davies.
◼ Print also offers a deliberate alternative to algorithms. "You might not think you're interested in reading an article about the history of the Roma community... but you might want to read an article about why your bins aren't getting collected. By putting those two articles side by side, you then end up reading something... you wouldn't otherwise know."
◼ The editorial process is deeply collaborative. The team organises meetings where everyone—readers, writers, volunteers—is invited to discuss what’s going on in the neighbourhood and set the theme for the next issue collectively.
◼ The magazine's mission is clear: "To take a solutions focused look at issues that affect local people. We do a lot of listening work to make sure that when we go out to community events, we go to other groups, we go and do stalls on the road, we run our own events, we do surveys, we chat to people as they come into our newsroom door… to keep reflecting back what we're hearing and making our work relevant to people.”
◼ This community-centered approach is often challenged by those who claim it strays too close to social activism. "I remember when I first launched the magazine... I could see some people in the chat going, well, it sounds very nice, but it's not journalism."
◼ Davies pushes back against that notion. "What I've learned to do over the years... is that it's actually okay to go against the grain and to do something different."
◼ "The reason that I do journalism, the reason I launched this publication is because I care about where I live and I care about the people in it. And trying to pretend that we don't care can be quite harmful, in terms of trust, in terms of relevance," she says.
❓ Greater Govanhill's model prioritises service over extraction, challenging traditional ideas of journalistic objectivity. In an era of declining trust, is a journalism rooted in community care the key to relevance and sustainability?
📍 Read the full deep-dive on our website here.
The Fix
Greater Govanhill: How a community magazine is reimagining journalism
Greater Govanhill, a community magazine from Glasgow, shows the way: serving its residents while also inspiring others who are on the same path.