Regional journalists use palace reception to stress importance of local news
Veteran local news reporters have used a royal reception to make the case to the King for regional journalism’s survival.
The King and Queen hosted 400 guests from various UK news organisations at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to show support for local news.
Charles was welcomed by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and a gathering of leading media professionals, including Tony James, 89, thought to be the UK’s oldest working journalist.
Mr James, who still writes for the West Somerset Free Press, told the King that local journalism – despite its struggles to stay relevant and profitable in the online world – remains “very valuable”.
He added: “Print journalism is being phased out – it’s been destroyed by digital, which is a great shame.”
Some 293 local newspapers closed down between 2005 and 2024, according to research from the Press Gazette.
BBC presenter Sally Taylor, 69, the longest-serving female presenter at the corporation, sparked laughter with a remark about her decades on screen.
Ms Taylor, who has presented BBC South Today for nearly 40 years, said: “It was lovely talking with the King.
“We shared a good joke – I said, ‘Forty years, not bad for an old bird,’ and he laughed.”
ITV News producer Rob McNulty showed the King rare footage from nearly 50 years ago of Charles bringing HMS Bronington into Workington Harbour.
Mr McNulty, 49, unearthed the reels from the University of Cumbria’s archive.
He said: “I had the video teed up on my phone, ready in my pocket. I wasn’t sure if you’re supposed to get your phone out — but he didn’t object.
“He remembered the visit and even recalled going to the Workington Working Men’s Club. It was a great moment.”
Charles, who has been an honorary life member of the London Press Club since 1978, told those gathered: “I have long believed that regional media, in all its forms, has a unique and vital role to play in society, perhaps even more so in these uncertain times.”
Your reporting, and the work of all those who support you, helps amplify and reaffirm the rights and responsibilities we all share. It shines a light in dark corners, exposing injustice and wrongdoing
He recalled his speech in 2002, marking the 300th anniversary of Britain’s first daily national newspaper, in which he said the press, alongside other long-standing institutions, were at the forefront of “defining, describing and celebrating the more profound values of our nation”.
“Two decades on, when too much focus is given to that which divides us, that role for your whole industry is more important than ever – and it starts from the ground up, at local level, in your hands”, he said.
“Your reporting, and the work of all those who support you, helps amplify and reaffirm the rights and responsibilities we all share.
“It shines a light in dark corners, exposing injustice and wrongdoing.”
He added: “Above all, it helps strengthen our communities, in times of joy and at moments of sorrow.
“You won’t always get it right: A free media is one that will and does make mistakes, but at its best it is a cornerstone of our democracy.”
The King recognised that many outlets have adapted to a changed media landscape that has been affected by “commercial pressures and changing technologies”.
This included by finding ways to engage audiences in “new and creative” ways.
He added: “It is in everyone’s interests that you should succeed. For without a thriving and financially robust regional media, we would all be the poorer.”
Camilla is patron of The Journalists’ Charity as well as the Guild of St Bride’s, which is based at St Bride’s Church on Fleet Street and is otherwise known as the journalists’ church.
