Ian Herbert takes a look at the plight of award-winning investigative magazine The Salford Star, which, because has gone online-only from this month because of operating costs.
The magazine has covered the ‘regeneration’ of Salford, scrutinising the deals done behind-the-scenes, and led coverage on the BBC’s relocation fo the north west.
But its investigative and critical work, for which it won best regional newspaper at last year’s Plain English Awards and a Paul Foot award nomination, have not made it immune to economic pressures and the rise of a local council ‘newspaper’.
“The problem is that if you are going to produce a proper community magazine you might have to bite the hand that feeds you. Because we are scrutinising and taking figures apart, advertisers don’t want to go near you,” says editor Stephen Kingston.