# Future of news is local, says Culture Secretary, as she launches the first action plan to back local news in a generation
> For example, new tools and software - such as adtech, apps or better website architecture - could help local media tap into new or younger audiences and revenue streams...
Wait, the government is spending £12m of taxpayer money to help news sites fund *adtech*?!
I'd happily pay ~£10/month for a local news website, which:
- has informative, not clickbait, headlines
- was ad-free (a classifieds section is fine)
- does not require an app, and works well in all browsers including text mode browsers
- has full text RSS
Our local news site is none of these.
Things which do not make a local news site better:
- ads, and adtech
I think the guardian checks all those boxes. I support them for quite a while now. While I do not pay to have the complete ad-free version, using u block origin just works without the site annoying me with anti-adblocking notices.
true. I have not seen any as well here in Germany :(
Sometimes I feel this is intentional. Content that actually looks deeper into an issue to combat right wing extremism is suspiciously often completely paywalled. Investors buying newspaper don't even need to change the content to change the public perception. They just need to demand enough profit and thus create those accessibility walls.
Because extremist bullshit is always for free and more accessible.
It doesn't really do "local" news, nor have full text RSS?
@neil It does have local RSS news feeds, though not full text as you say. E.g. https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/england/manchester/rss.xml
I'll be honest, it is a bit rubbish, really.
@neil would your local Bylines Network site fit the bill?
https://bylinesnetwork.co.uk/
It's not clear if donating removes ads, but they have RSS feeds, and they don't complain about me using an ad blocker.
@neil
Bristol 24/7 may be a good example of what you're suggesting.
If you're logged in as a member, you don't get adverts.
Not actually sure about a RSS feed.
I've had good experience with News Now along with adblock in the browser.
My small town actually had one for a couple of years. One sole proprietor. It had plenty of ads, but he put the time in. Also, none of the ads came from google - they were all local businesses. If I wondered what all the cop cars were doing somewhere, I could read the answer there within an hour or two. Council news - everything. Well moderated comments.
I don't know why he quit.
Now my town only has one newspaper and it only comes out once a week. It's basically little more than a flyer-wrapper.
In my province of BC in Canada, one man owns the majority (all?) the newspapers outside of Vancouver. And both of Vancouver's major dailies are owned by one different company.
The game of Monopoly only has one ending and we're living it, from newspapers to hard drives.
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