Journalists Fight Back With Their Own News Websites

There is little good news coming out of the print publishing world.

Every week magazines and newspapers are being closed down resulting in more redundancies. The future is looking bleak.

However some journalists are fighting back. They are launching their own online businesses to fill the gaps left by the shrinking local press. Here are five journalist owned sites identified by Robert Andrews of PaidContent.org:

Epping Forest Guardian (Newsquest) editor David Jackman took redundancy in October after 21 years and, though he works in NHS PR by day, has launched Everything Epping Forest, a news site with events and associations listings, a business directory and £50-a-year local business banner ads - cornerstones of the community news business that Jackman says are no longer merited by his former employer

Whitehaven News (CN Group) news editor Dave Siddall took redundancy in a round of 30 layoffs in December but viewed the news as an opportunity rather than a setback, launching a news site at WhiteHaven.org.uk and a tourist information hub at LakeStay.co.uk

Five from the East Valley Tribune in Arizona have launched their own news sites after 40 percent of staff were made redundant. Four of them started The Arizona Guardian, while another founded Heat City

Rick Waghorn was made redundant from his job as sports editor for the Norwich Evening News in 2007. Rather than look for another risky writing job he setup MyFootballWriter.com

I wish all these sites the very best of luck and I hope that they reward their brave creators with a stable and growing income.

On the internet content is king and will be for the forseeable future. Journalists and authors have skills that are tremendously valuable in this market and I hope more of them take on the challenge and excitment of creating their own online businesses.