We are a socially responsible organisation that believes in giving something back on behalf of the industry we were set up to protect and represent. A minimum of 80% of the revenue we collect goes back to publishers, that’s equivalent to keeping over 1000 journalists in a job. But we are also active in making newspapers and magazines available to all.
Journalism Diversity Fund
We were instrumental in the creation of a Journalism Diversity Fund to support would-be journalists from socially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. It is vital for the industry’s sustained success that the journalists reporting the news reflect the communities in which they serve.
Since its launch in 2005, 248 journalists and aspiring press photographers have received bursaries to fund NCTJ training courses and help them with living expenses while they study.
The JDF pairs each student with a successful working journalist who acts as a mentor, providing advice and insight into this dynamic industry, and provides work placements to on-the-job experience during their course.
The new internship scheme provides one to three month placements at regional newspapers for students from a range of backgrounds who have successfully completed the NCTJ Gold Standard qualification.
The scheme provides students with practical experience in a working newsroom and a fantastic opportunity to create a portfolio of clippings.
Other Charities
All 1,150 charities licensed by NLA media access receive a discount on their licence fees -regardless of their size – worth up to £400 per year depending on their media coverage. This means that 18 small charities receive an entirely free licence. In March 2013, the discount, which has operated since 2003, was extended to include web licensing as explained here in in the NLA blog.
The newspaper publishers represented by NLA media access are generous supporters of a wide range of charities, through financial contributions, donations of space and leading campaigns. A list of charities they have supported in recent years can be found here.
Newspapers for Schools
Newspapers are an invaluable source of inspiration for students – over 50% of teachers use newspaper content on a weekly basis.
The Newspapers for Schools ‘News Library’ database allows teachers and students to find newspaper articles as a PDF cutting or full page exactly as it was printed. The service offers the most efficient way of getting newspapers into the classroom whilst fully respecting copyright. News Library contains over 35 million newspaper articles from over 1500 UK national and regional newspaper titles, from 2006 to present day.
RNIB – Talking Newspapers
We supply a daily feed of text from more than 100 newspaper titles to the Royal National Institute for the Blind. The charity converts this text into accessible content for its National Talking Newspapers and Magazines Service.
Describing itself as an accessible local newsagent, the charity creates electronic versions of all the daily and weekend national newspapers that are delivered directly to its customers’ mobile phones or computers. It also produces versions of newspapers on CDs.