This year’s Index is the result of in-depth surveys taken by more than 70 small independent news publishers across the UK, predominantly working in text-based formats.   

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Key findings include: 

• Independent news publishers are not immune to the revenue challenges facing the broader UK media sector. The average revenue of an independent news publisher is just £62,000, down significantly on the previous year’s finding; 

• The average website reach of 344,000 unique users is significantly lower than the finding in last year’s survey; 

• Cuts are being made to newsroom staffing. The average publisher has just two FTE employees compared with last year’s finding of three FTE employees - risking a downward spiral of reduced output and further reduced revenue;

• Print is a concern for some, but an opportunity for others: 

  • Existing print publishers worry about rising costs and consider stopping production; 
    o New entrants with a formerly online-only presence are taking their first steps in print publishing;​

• Average social media reach appears smaller than in previous surveys, and publishers are trying out new options: 

  • Facebook is still the most popular platform for use by publishers, but followers on Meta’s platform, as well as on X (formerly Twitter) are lower than measured last year;

  • Publishers say they are looking to diversify from overreliance on digital platforms.

• Abundant stories of the social benefits of independent news publishers exist – they give voice to their communities, press local government to act, inspire larger publishers to pursue stories, and highlight wrongdoing.

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Our analysis reveals new insights into the size, shape and economics of the sector.

The report also features first-person accounts from publishers and highlights inspiring stories of impact. 

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