Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Antonio Zappulla at the 2022 Trust Conference. Credit: Thomson Reuters Foundation / Ed Telling.

At last week’s Trust Conference – an annual event hosted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in London – the organisation’s CEO Antonio Zappulla was drawn on the subject of street papers: how TRF’s values align with their concept and mission and the power of the media to change perceptions.

Street papers are “giving a lifeline and dignity back to people who have lost everything, sending a powerful message to homeless people that they are visible,” says Thomson Reuters Foundation Chief

Kevin Gopal (left) with the rest of the editorial team: deputy editor Antonia Charlesworth, producer Christian Lisseman and designer Mark Wheeler. Credit: Rebecca Lupton

On the occasion of Big Issue North’s final edition as an independent magazine, its editor Kevin Gopal – in the role for 16 years – talks about some of the defining moments for him and his editorial team at the magazine.

Big Issue North editor Kevin Gopal: “I’ve been editor through the financial crash, austerity and now the cost of living crisis. What does marginalisation mean when nearly everyone’s being pushed to the margins?”

The Shift members (clockwise from bottom right): Eva Takakanew, Yvonne Mark, Julie Chapman, Jathinder Sandhu, David Deocera, James Witwicki, Mike McNeeley, Paula Carlson, Michael Geilen, the late Maryann Sundown, Lance Lim, Richard Young and Nicolas Crier. Credit: Holly Sakaki.

Canadian street paper Megaphone has launched a new peer newsroom consisting of more than a dozen vendors and storytellers who gather monthly to determine the direction of the magazine. It’s part of a partnership that will develop journalism best practices for reporting on marginalized communities. Paula Carlson, Megaphone’s managing editor, explains more.

Introducing The Shift, Vancouver-based street paper Megaphone’s co-creational newsroom

The world is in a state of flux. That we cannot deny. Political, economic, social, and technological change seems to be accelerating – or, to put it another way, change in the only constant. 

For those of us in the journalistic world trying to decipher what will happen in the year 2024, fear not. Help is at hand. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has released its report: “Journalism, Media & Technology Trends and Predictions 2024”. Mike Findlay-Agnew from INSP offers some reflections some as to what this could mean for our street paper movement.


Journalism in the year 2024

As part of an ongoing campaign to highlight the importance of street paper journalism, Israel Bayer, who leads on INSP’s North America project, writes in this op-ed about the power of journalism and storytelling in affecting societal change, and how street papers are doing so whilst also supporting people to maintain a dignified income.

INSP North America director: “Street papers believe in the idea that journalism can bring people together to make the world we live in a better place”

Global Forum for Media Development and Impress

The International Network of Street Papers (INSP) has gained membership of two professional organisations: the UK’s press regulator Impress and the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD). 

Street paper news service bolstered by professional memberships

Sarah Britz, who previously worked at one of Sweden’s largest daily newspapers, made a change twp decades into her career, becoming editor-in-chief of Gothenburg-based street paper Faktum, where she has now been for seven years. She considers it the fulfilment of a dream of the type of journalism she strived for when first becoming interested in the media industry. In this op-ed she outlines her journey, and explains why street paper journalism and the INSP News Service make an impact directly on people’s lives.

“Reading a street paper provides a new picture of what is happening in the world”: Faktum editor-in-chief on why street paper journalism matters

To mark World Press Freedom Day, Tony Inglis discusses the recent cuts at independent media organisations, how street papers are not immune from the threat, and the importance of a diverse media ecosystem.

INSP editor Tony Inglis: "Street papers have forged their own path in journalism. Now they need your support"

Antonio Zappulla, CEO of Thomson Reuters Foundation speaking at Trust Conference 2023. 

Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Trust conference provided a stark reminder of just how tough the world of journalism is right now. Mike Findlay-Agnew, Chief Executive of the International Network of Street Papers, provides some highlights. 

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