No pop-ups. No clickbait. Just news you can trust

Aim

To inform, inspire, entertain and connect the people of the North East – and beyond – through independent quality journalism

Local newsrooms have been stripped of so much journalistic talent over the past few years, newspaper sales are in freefall, and their websites… well, they are not places where you would go to enjoy a pleasant browse – all at a time when trustworthy, unbiased sources of news are needed like never before.

My name is Brian Aitken. I was Editor of North East regional daily The Journal for 12 years and built the newspaper up to be an award-winning campaigning champion of the region. Like many, I am alarmed at the cutbacks inflicted on local newsrooms and the knock-on effect that has had. With your help, I can do something about it.

For the past year I have been publishing Eyes & Ears on the Substack platform and have grown its audience to 2,847 active subscribers. Now I've taken the next step by launching The Source, a new online newspaper for the North East – and the new home of Eyes & Ears.

The Source will inform, inspire, connect and entertain through independent quality journalism. It will provide news, views and information you can trust – a growing modern platform for public interest journalism, balanced debate, and a launchpad for the next generation of great storytellers.

It will focus on regional affairs, take an in-depth look at important issues, serve up informed opinion and engaging columnists, and produce quality stories about the people and places that make the North East such a great place to live.

And Eyes & Ears will continue as a weekly column within The Source – the one-stop-shop for busy people who want to know what is going on in the region. It summarises everything you need to know – and things you didn't know you needed to know.

Independent, politically neutral – but North East biased. No obtrusive ads, pop-ups or clickbait headlines. Just quality stories told by quality storytellers.

Journalist and broadcaster Steph McGovern has already pledged her support. She said: "As a journalist and proud North Eastern lass, I crave local news that isn’t just clickbait drama. What Brian offers is a smart, insightful and impartial analysis of the news that matters to the people here."

The immediate aim is to raise £35,000 to enable The Source to employ a reporter specialising in public-benefit journalism.

Your support will also help us reach a bigger audience and develop the tools and expertise needed to build a sustainable online newspaper.

I have proved there is a market and an appetite for what I do – but I can't build The Source on my own.

A former Journal editor writes...

Phillip Crawley was Editor of The Journal from 1979 to 1987. More recently he was Publisher and CEO of The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper, from 1998 to 2023 when he retired. He is currently Chair of The Globe Foundation, and board member of The Globe and Mail.

He said: “Brian Aitken deserves praise and support for fighting to sustain independent journalism in the North East. More than ever, the region needs an authoritative media platform to represent itself. He is filling a gap left by failing media companies. Reliable and insightful coverage is in short supply… Brian is providing it, week after week."

MEDIA LANDSCAPE

The ‘double whammy’ of the 2008 financial crash and the internet beginning to deliver credible, cost-effective options for advertisers delivered a hammer blow to a newspaper sector that had been in steady decline since the 1970s. The impact on publishing revenue was devastating and sparked an era of dramatic cost-cutting, business restructuring, and rapid downsizing.

An estimated 4,000 journalists are working in regional media today compared to 13,000 20 years ago. With shrinking newsrooms, there’s no denying that the chase for clicks over the past 10 years or so has diluted the overall quality of what they produce.

The Source, like The QT before it, will be plugging a gap in news provision in the North East.

Claire Malcolm, CEO of New Writing North: “The role that quality and trustworthy local media has in our democracy is incredibly important. Democracy is under threat from social media and disinformation, and ensuring that communities of interest have trusted media is becoming a priority for many people both politically and from a philanthropic direction.

“This was highlighted in the Community Foundation’s Vital Signs work which for the first time is actively encouraging philanthropy to support local news media – this matches similar moves from national philanthropists who are beginning to understand the profound impact that good news can have at times of political upheaval and with many people portraying distrust in the mainstream media.”

THE PRESENT

While traditional regional newspapers have been cutting back, closing titles, or hollowing out their newsrooms, small independent publishers are springing up. Mill Media’s seven city-based newsletters are the most prominent. Others such as the Edinburgh Minute, the Bristol Cable and Bedford Independent are proving that readers will back quality, distinctive reporting.

These new ventures are lean, creative, and largely reader-funded. They are part of a national wave of independent local journalism, where smaller, distinctive voices are thriving while traditional regional papers continue to contract.

I launched The QT, a subscription-based online news magazine, in February 2024. The number of subscribers we had after six months was on par with what the successful Mill Media titles had at the same stage of their development. Proof of concept had been achieved – but our business model was wrong.

With the benefit of hindsight and valuable lessons learned, I know how to publish quality journalism viably and sustainably – and Eyes & Ears has demonstrated that there is an audience for it.

The Source is the next stage: an online newspaper built on those foundations, with Eyes & Ears at its heart.

THE PLAN

To build The Source into a prosperous, independent online newspaper for the North East, building on the strengths and lessons of The QT and the proven audience for Eyes & Ears.

The immediate priority is to raise £35,000 to employ a reporter specialising in public-benefit journalism.

• We have 2,847 active subscribers and growing – despite no paid marketing.
• Eyes & Ears is read by key decision-makers in business, politics, education, and the cultural, voluntary and public sectors.
• The open rates are 45–55% – far above industry average.
• It is trusted for balanced content that informs and engages – and entertains.
• It is described by readers as “outstandingly good to read”, “essential”, “joyful”, “time-saving” and a “great resource”.

The Source will build on this existing audience and reputation, while creating the capacity to produce more original, public-interest journalism and to provide employment for an increasing number of journalists and freelance contributors.

By backing The Source, you are not just supporting an online newspaper – you're helping to build a future where local voices thrive, communities are better informed, and the North East has a media outlet it can be proud of.

WHAT THEY SAY:

Charlie Charlton (presenter and former BBC journalist): A great round-up of what's been happening. Dips into policy news that affects all of us here, business, health, how our taxes are being spent, transport, education, jobs and innovation, culture, communities. Well-written, brief but comprehensive and balanced - thanks yet again to Brian Aitken.

Alison Clark, former culture, creative, sport & visitor economy leadership Durham County Council: If anyone in the North East hasn't yet subscribed to Brian Aitken‘s brilliant weekly news round-up, get on it! With proper journalist pithiness it summarises everything you need to know as well as everything you didn't know you needed to know.

Sir Brendan Foster: Pretty sure this is something the North East is lacking. I really think it’s a decent read and a very worthwhile project. 

Lucy Winskell, Lord Lieutenant Tyne & Wear: They’re outstandingly good to read. Beautifully written, amusing often, informative and a joy to read. I hate reading stuff online. The fact you’ve kept a reader like me engaged is testament to the quality.

Sarah Glendinning, Director of Business Partnerships, Northumbria University: Love reading Eyes & Ears when it arrives in the inbox - informative and always brings a wry smile too.

Professor Roy Sandbach (Newcastle University): Eyes & Ears is hugely valuable for me. It allows me to access, in five minutes, what I would call ‘knowledge with currency’. Bravo, Brian!

MESSAGES FROM READERS:

The exceptional quality of the journalism makes Eyes & Ears the go-to publication to find out what is really going on, with an additional twist of totally authentic North East story-telling and humour. There is so much good stuff happening in the North East, but too often it gets obscured by all the clickbait and relentless negativity. I enjoy Eyes & Ears because it shines a light on the positive news and lets those stories breathe, without the usual histrionics or indignation. It’s valuable to have a source of intelligent, thoughtful (and witty) journalism about the region. It's so hard to find objective information you can trust, so I am delighted to have found Eyes and Ears, thank you Brian. I love that you distil things about my local area into writing I like and find accessible. Quality, professional journalism online is increasingly important, carving a safe and trusted path through 'noise', uninformed opinion and fake news. The Eyes & Ears team clearly know their stuff and write about it very, very well. 

 IN RETURN...

Many businesses on Crowdfunder offer incentives. The Source is a journalism project not a lifestyle brand. So, I won't be offering any merchandise such as tote bags, mugs or stickers. But everyone who donates between £100 and £1,000 will go on to our Donor Wall, a permanent and public demonstration of your support for independent quality journalism. Of course you don't have to give your full name. You will have the option to just give your initials or even use that common moniker 'Anonymous'.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 26th October 2026 at 9:28pm