Brighton and Hove News is a member of the Independent Community News Network (ICNN), the UK representative body for the independent community and hyperlocal news sector.
ICNN exists to promote the interests of community and hyperlocal publishers and to champion new sustainable forms of local digital and print journalism.
Its focus is at the local and hyperlocal level; the place where journalism is most valued, but also most at risk from factors such as the impact of the internet on traditional business models, which in turn leads to cost cutting.
Trust in journalism is also declining because of recent high-profile scandals shining light on the murkier end of the national news industry.
The knock on effects on the wider news industry creates the potential for a serious democratic deficit, particularly at a local level.
It was set up in December 2016 by Cardiff University’s Centre for Community Journalism.