After writing to the Secretary of State recently to support the Barking and Dagenham Post and Romford Recorder Jon Cruddas MP has now joined a wider campaign, asking that government support local and independent media through an increased share of public health communications spending.
The letter has been backed by 40 other MPs from across Parliament, including former Cabinet ministers and shadow ministers, and highlights the importance of local press in communicating trustworthy information and the financial strain faced by local journalists in light of the coronavirus.
Jon said: "Local press are some of the most trusted sources of news for our communities and we must support them in this challenging time. They are vital to our efforts to respond and recover from the coronavirus and yet they are facing significant financial difficulties. Thankfully Archant confirmed recently that they had received some advertising revenue from the government, but more is still needed to protect jobs.