Rolling Q and A with our editor Hardeep Matharu, our political editor Adam Bienkov, and founders Stephen Colegrave & Peter Jukes about the last four years of Byline Times and our plans for the future
Thank heavens for Byline !! I was overjoyed to read my first articles a few months ago and couldn’t believe the truths and the ease of your reporting !! I emailed my friends to tell them. It’s been difficult to sift through and to make decisions until now. Thank you to all for edits and articles. I’ve signed on. Bless you all.
Hey Elaine. Peter here. Can’t seem to find my personal log in, so using the corporate one. Thanks for all your kind words. It’s pretty tough being a journalist these days with so much secrecy, lack of transparency and gaming of the media going on. But encourage like yours keeps us all going and makes it all worth while
We're here to answer any of your questions for the next week or so. Apologies if any delay in replying, but it's both a busy time and a Holiday break in the UK
I'm a trainee journalist at Glasgow Caledonian University. I'm currently writing a feature piece on the state of independent media in the UK. The Byline Times is an outlet I've found invaluable for its investigative journalism and scrutiny of the mainstream press. It's an ideal case study for my story. The questions below are addressed to Hardeep.
1. The independent media organisation, Gal-dem, has just announced its closure. Its closing statement said it has been “increasingly challenging” to run a small media business during the last few years of the pandemic and economic downturn. What challenges does The Byline Times currently face as an independent media outlet and how does it aim to overcome these?
2. How does The Byline Times’ independence allow it to pursue stories such as the ones mentioned above?
3. As well as being independent of corporate owners and government, The Byline Times is independent of party politics and chooses not to make endorsements at elections. Why is this?
4. What are your editorial plans for the future, including in the short, medium and longer terms?
Thank you Rufus for your support. Hardeep is away at the moment, but from my perspective:
1. I'm not sure what Gal-dem's business model was, but it has definitely been a challenging time for all publishers due to the economic downturn. It has particularly hit those businesses which rely most on advertising and retail sales. However, as an entirely subscriber-funded model, I think Byline Times has managed to weather the storm better than most. We have also diversified our output, from Byline TV to Byline books, to the Supplement and this has all helped us get through this period.
2. The subscription-based model is the foundation of our independence. Without it we would be dependent on the whims of advertisers, and / or the support (and demands) of wealthy proprietors. Without that dependence we are free to cover stories that matter the most to our subscribers. In essence our only loyalty is to our readers.
3. Our readers will support various political parties and we have writers who come from the Labour, liberal, Green and Conservative traditions. From my own perspective, I have always felt that newspaper endorsements are somewhat outdated and unlikely to make a meaningful difference in any case. As journalists and editors I think it's our role to report the facts, expose systemic problems, give space for a plurality of viewpoints, but not to lecture people on how they should vote.
4. I will have to leave this for others to set out, but safe to say we have some exciting plans for the near future, including our Byline Festival in July: https://www.bylinefestival.com/
Dear Byline. I love your work. I'll help support you however I can.
Please investigate..
1. Housing.
(a) Poorly built, speedily erected, trashing the countryside, profiteering. I'm from East Devon. Cranbrook, and the impending Farringdon New Town would be a good place to start. The big developers need a smack on the snout too!
(b) Second home ownership. (see part [a])
2. PR.
In my opinion the single biggest achievable change for a corrupted political system. How can we make it THE conversation of the next General election? Can we make it work in the UK??
3. Art.
The stuff of life and dreams and one of the very reasons why we breathe. I know funds are tight, but GUITARS KILL FASCISTS!!! It is what makes us human and shows us why we care. Artists and their work to inspire and lift morale and keep the fighting spirit strong.. Start with Sleaford Mods!
Thanks for your kind words and support. Housing is definitely an important area for us to keep investigating and also PR is a hot topic especially as the Labour Party supported it at Conference but seem very reluctant to talk about it now. Also we are keen to build our Culture coverage and your comments on Art are definitely noted.
It is great getting feedback and please keep it coming. Byline Supplement and Byline Times is a journey and we are continually trying to improve what we do and we rely on our subscribers and supporters to keep us honest and striving to hold the Government and Establishment to account.
Hi Stephen, thanks for taking the time out to reply. By setting up a news channel, print edition newspaper, and TV channel you are already striking at the heart of the problem by directly taking on one of the root causes of our societal malaise. The overarching reach and collaborative propagandist narrative of the established media. The way they operate in collusion with the office of state in this country is reprehensible, and neither bedfellow will ever hold the other to account.
Imagine Jeremy Corbyn,, foreign secretary, drunk in an airport without his security detail, having been up all nigh at a private party with the son of an (ex) KGB colenel with close ties to Putin...a son who he then promotes to the upper chamber of the 'mother of parliaments' despite repeated warnings from his own intelligence services?
They'd bring back beheading for him! Your work is hard, never ending, dirty work with scant reward, but for what it's worth, I , and many others support you and will continue to do so however we can. Keep fighting. Our democracy, messy as it is, depends upon it.
Thank heavens for Byline !! I was overjoyed to read my first articles a few months ago and couldn’t believe the truths and the ease of your reporting !! I emailed my friends to tell them. It’s been difficult to sift through and to make decisions until now. Thank you to all for edits and articles. I’ve signed on. Bless you all.
Hey Elaine. Peter here. Can’t seem to find my personal log in, so using the corporate one. Thanks for all your kind words. It’s pretty tough being a journalist these days with so much secrecy, lack of transparency and gaming of the media going on. But encourage like yours keeps us all going and makes it all worth while
We're here to answer any of your questions for the next week or so. Apologies if any delay in replying, but it's both a busy time and a Holiday break in the UK
Hi there!
I'm a trainee journalist at Glasgow Caledonian University. I'm currently writing a feature piece on the state of independent media in the UK. The Byline Times is an outlet I've found invaluable for its investigative journalism and scrutiny of the mainstream press. It's an ideal case study for my story. The questions below are addressed to Hardeep.
1. The independent media organisation, Gal-dem, has just announced its closure. Its closing statement said it has been “increasingly challenging” to run a small media business during the last few years of the pandemic and economic downturn. What challenges does The Byline Times currently face as an independent media outlet and how does it aim to overcome these?
2. How does The Byline Times’ independence allow it to pursue stories such as the ones mentioned above?
3. As well as being independent of corporate owners and government, The Byline Times is independent of party politics and chooses not to make endorsements at elections. Why is this?
4. What are your editorial plans for the future, including in the short, medium and longer terms?
Best wishes,
Rufus Pickles
Thank you Rufus for your support. Hardeep is away at the moment, but from my perspective:
1. I'm not sure what Gal-dem's business model was, but it has definitely been a challenging time for all publishers due to the economic downturn. It has particularly hit those businesses which rely most on advertising and retail sales. However, as an entirely subscriber-funded model, I think Byline Times has managed to weather the storm better than most. We have also diversified our output, from Byline TV to Byline books, to the Supplement and this has all helped us get through this period.
2. The subscription-based model is the foundation of our independence. Without it we would be dependent on the whims of advertisers, and / or the support (and demands) of wealthy proprietors. Without that dependence we are free to cover stories that matter the most to our subscribers. In essence our only loyalty is to our readers.
3. Our readers will support various political parties and we have writers who come from the Labour, liberal, Green and Conservative traditions. From my own perspective, I have always felt that newspaper endorsements are somewhat outdated and unlikely to make a meaningful difference in any case. As journalists and editors I think it's our role to report the facts, expose systemic problems, give space for a plurality of viewpoints, but not to lecture people on how they should vote.
4. I will have to leave this for others to set out, but safe to say we have some exciting plans for the near future, including our Byline Festival in July: https://www.bylinefestival.com/
Dear Byline. I love your work. I'll help support you however I can.
Please investigate..
1. Housing.
(a) Poorly built, speedily erected, trashing the countryside, profiteering. I'm from East Devon. Cranbrook, and the impending Farringdon New Town would be a good place to start. The big developers need a smack on the snout too!
(b) Second home ownership. (see part [a])
2. PR.
In my opinion the single biggest achievable change for a corrupted political system. How can we make it THE conversation of the next General election? Can we make it work in the UK??
3. Art.
The stuff of life and dreams and one of the very reasons why we breathe. I know funds are tight, but GUITARS KILL FASCISTS!!! It is what makes us human and shows us why we care. Artists and their work to inspire and lift morale and keep the fighting spirit strong.. Start with Sleaford Mods!
Love.
Adam Burgess.
Hi Adam
Thanks for your kind words and support. Housing is definitely an important area for us to keep investigating and also PR is a hot topic especially as the Labour Party supported it at Conference but seem very reluctant to talk about it now. Also we are keen to build our Culture coverage and your comments on Art are definitely noted.
It is great getting feedback and please keep it coming. Byline Supplement and Byline Times is a journey and we are continually trying to improve what we do and we rely on our subscribers and supporters to keep us honest and striving to hold the Government and Establishment to account.
Best
Stephen Colegrave
Hi Stephen, thanks for taking the time out to reply. By setting up a news channel, print edition newspaper, and TV channel you are already striking at the heart of the problem by directly taking on one of the root causes of our societal malaise. The overarching reach and collaborative propagandist narrative of the established media. The way they operate in collusion with the office of state in this country is reprehensible, and neither bedfellow will ever hold the other to account.
Imagine Jeremy Corbyn,, foreign secretary, drunk in an airport without his security detail, having been up all nigh at a private party with the son of an (ex) KGB colenel with close ties to Putin...a son who he then promotes to the upper chamber of the 'mother of parliaments' despite repeated warnings from his own intelligence services?
They'd bring back beheading for him! Your work is hard, never ending, dirty work with scant reward, but for what it's worth, I , and many others support you and will continue to do so however we can. Keep fighting. Our democracy, messy as it is, depends upon it.
Adam
Thank you Peter. Your courage is admirable