The Big Issue’s Top 100 Changemakers 2019: Journalism

The Bristol Cable

Fake news, clickbait, reactionism combined with the decline of print media, especially the squeezing of local papers, has meant those who used to hold the powerful to account are no longer there to investigate and shout about injustice and corruption. Algorithmically-curated news bubbles created by social media can make it difficult to know what information we can trust.

This has led to a rise in collaborative journalism working with alternative funding methods. The Bristol Cable is a grassroots, community-led media cooperative owned and operated by 2,000 ‘members’ who contribute on a subscription basis, a model touted as the future model of local journalism. “We all decide how it’s run,” the Cable reports. “Our one-member, one-vote policy means all members have an equal say on decisions. No barons, no billionaires. Just 2,000 (and counting!) Bristolians.”

thebristolcable.org

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

This is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation aiming to uphold the noble tradition of investigative journalism. It made a splash last year working with organisations, including The Big Issue, on a project to record and document the deaths of homeless people on the streets of the UK – not only counting the numbers but telling their stories. This work even prompted a change in government policy.

In 2017, it set up the Bureau Local, which like The Bristol Cable appreciates the vital role of local media. “We want to find and tell the stories that matter in local communities and hold power to account,” said Megan Lucero, Director of TBIJ and the Bureau Local. “We have teachers, lawyers, designers, as well as journalists – people with all kinds of expertise and knowledge participating in committing what we call acts of journalism.”

thebureauinvestigates.com

The Ferret

In Scotland, crucial work is being done by The Ferret, which has followed the dark money trail in Brexit campaigning and uncovered police attempts to infiltrate anti-fracking campaigns – with decisions on what to investigate decided in consultation with their community of supporters.

theferret.scot

The Refugee Journalism Project

Based at the London College of Communication, the Refugee Journalism Project helps exiled and refugee journalists restart their careers in the UK. The migrant crisis is often in the news, but the voices of those affected are rarely heard – so who better to tell stories about migrants and migration than people at the heart of the story?

This year is unlikely to be a slow one for news, so the role of these organisations is going to be more important than ever.

migrantjournalism.org

Stacey Dooley

Being crowned Strictly champ was a glittering way to end 2018 but the journalist and filmmaker is just getting into the swing of things. The 31-year-old hasnever shied away from difficult subjects, presenting them in an accessible way.

Child sexual exploitation, homelessness, domestic violence, ISIS in Iraq, you name it – she has presented stories with humility, nuance and humour, appealing to an audience that usually tunes out to current affairs. 2019 will see Dooley waltzing into the biggest year of her career yet with a bigger spotlight with which to focus our attention on the world’s injustices.

@StaceyDooley