Last Friday Council papers went online, and finally confirmed our worst fears.
They showed that the City of Edinburgh Council is recommending that ALL funding to North Edinburgh News is cut completely for 2011-2012.
This report goes before full Council on Thursday 10 February when councillors meet to set the Budget for the year ahead.
So what does this mean for your community paper?
If this decision is approved, then we will have to close. My colleagues and I will be made redundant, but more importantly, North Edinburgh will lose its community voice.
The report going to full council states:
“No doubt that the NEN is an asset to the local community but its remit is clearly a wider community one rather than employability focussed.”
Over the last two years NEN staff and Board have worked very hard at meeting these criteria. We’ve developed a strong partnership with Edinburgh’s Telford College, providing placements for 22 journalism students, and giving them their first taste of life in a busy newspaper.
The Board had plans in place to develop this even further in the year ahead. We’re developing new social media tools to reach an even wider audience.
But the news of the cut to funding is signalling the end for North Edinburgh’s community newspaper which has been around for over 30 years.
Members of NEN’s board will make a deputation to Thursday’s full Council, outlining the progress they have made in the last year and their plans for the future.
We want to stop that from happening, but we need your help. Follow our blog, join our Facebook page, follow our twitter stream, or simply send us your comments and ideas about saving the NEN .
Mary Burnside, Editor.
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