Welcome to London Centric: A new approach to journalism in the capital

Something different is coming to London: A modern news outlet covering the city in the old-fashioned way.

In my six years as media editor of the Guardian, I often wrote about “news deserts” — places that had been hit hard by the collapse of their local newspapers. The articles I wrote often focused on left-behind smaller towns across England: the emotional impact of losing a print paper in Walsall or the optimistic growth of a new outlet in Harlow. 

But the real answer to the question of “where has been hardest hit by the decline of local reporting”, didn’t really fit with the established narrative. It was my home city: London.

One of my last scoops as a media editor was that the Evening Standard would close in its current form and make yet another round of deep job cuts. My replies were flooded with people remembering what they loved about the Standard and bemoaning what it had become under the ownership of Evgeny Lebedev. They had ceased to recognise their home in its coverage, which was increasingly fixated on either serving a small section of the city’s elite or chasing global clicks with generic celebrity stories.

The British media is often accused of being too London-centric. But national outlets don’t have the time or space to go in-depth and cover the details of the people, institutions, and dubious money that make the capital what it is. There are some brilliant journalists working locally covering their boroughs but I want to read something that reports honestly on the whole of London, exposing its flaws without giving the impression that it hates the city.

I want a city-wide outlet that can explain the inside story, provide the gossip, and get the leaked plans of what is coming next. Something unapologetically London-centric.

I’ve long believed there is an audience for quality, in-depth journalism about London: A publication that finds out what the mayor is really doing, exposes dodgy landlords, and only gives recommendations that are sincere — not because a sponsor demanded coverage.

And with that in mind, I decided that I’d better do it myself. 

No clickbait. No bullshit. No oligarchs pulling the strings. Just quality, original journalism about London.

This summer I quit my job at the Guardian to launch London Centric, a new outlet reporting on the capital — and the cast of characters that make it tick.

Here’s the catch: I’m going to ask you to pay for it. I’ve written enough about the decline of the media to know there’s no long-term future in ad-supported click-chasing online journalism, with homepages that crash your browser with dozens of autoplaying videos. I want to build something that enables me to deliver high-quality, properly reported stories direct to your inbox. And I promise it won’t be boring — my previous contributions to London journalism include frying an egg on the street using the Walkie Talkie skyscraper’s death ray, forcing the developer to spend tens of millions of pounds to fix the building.

London Centric will swim or sink based on whether people pledge their support to it early on. And if you want to access the good stuff, you’re going to have to subscribe.

If you buy into this vision and are willing to commit before we start publishing later this month, then I’ve got a special offer: 25% off for the first 150 paying subscribers, meaning a subscription will cost around £1 a week.*

Or, if you want to ensure we’re financially sustainable — and receive an invite to our launch party — then please consider giving more and signing up as a founding member.

*Update: I’ve been astonished to hit this target within a few hours of publishing this post — so as a thank you I’m going to keep this introductory 25% off discount running for just a little longer. Thank you so very much to everyone who has been able to buy a subscription.

The pitch is simple: The more people who subscribe early, the more quality journalism that will be produced. I’ll be working full-time to deliver something really great that will delight Londoners — and anyone else interested in the city. At first you can expect to receive at least two updates a week featuring original journalism, plus insight on major breaking news stories. 

I’ll also be honest and transparent about how stories are put together, talking through the process and challenges of setting up a news outlet. London Centric aims to be open and collaborative. If you want to send me a message, a story tip, some feedback, or any questions then you can email hello@londoncentric.media. Or send me a WhatsApp directly - just hit the button below.

The first pieces are coming soon, including a behind-the-scenes read on what went wrong at the Standard, and its plan to turn itself into an upmarket luxury lifestyle brand — so do get in touch if you’ve got anything to share!

Now, I hope London Centric will be many things — but I promise it will never, ever, seek to be an upmarket luxury lifestyle brand. Just a place for quality local reporting.