About The Heartlands Tribune
The Heartlands Tribune is an independent, reader-funded British news and opinion publication committed to giving working-class Britain a voice.
We are not tied to a political party, corporate proprietor, advertising network or institutional sponsor. We publish news, analysis, commentary and opinion from an unapologetically left-wing perspective while remaining independent of the parties that claim to represent the left.
Our politics are rooted in the belief that concentrated economic and political power should be challenged, not accommodated.
A central part of that challenge is neoliberalism: the economic settlement that has shaped successive British governments, regardless of the colour of the rosette. Privatisation, deindustrialisation, financialisation, weakened organised labour and the transfer of wealth and power away from working communities have transformed Britain. The consequences are particularly visible in the towns, former industrial communities and working-class areas too often treated as an afterthought by Westminster.
The Heartlands Tribune exists to report on that Britain.
What We Stand For
We believe journalism should question power rather than simply circulate its talking points.
We support free speech, open debate and the vigorous exchange of ideas. Our pages are not intended to be an echo chamber, and publication does not require every contributor or reader to agree with every position expressed.
We distinguish between reporting, analysis and opinion, and individual articles represent the views and arguments of their authors unless otherwise stated.
We do not claim political neutrality. We do claim editorial independence.
Our purpose is not to tell readers what they must think, but to provide information, arguments and perspectives that allow them to think for themselves.
Working-Class and Citizen Journalism
The Heartlands Tribune grew from the belief that journalism should not be the exclusive preserve of large media organisations, political insiders or professional commentators based within the Westminster bubble.
Citizen journalism allows people with direct experience of communities, workplaces and political struggles to contribute to the reporting and discussion of events that affect them.
We want to amplify voices and experiences that are frequently overlooked by larger news organisations, particularly those of working people and communities that have borne the cost of economic restructuring, austerity and political neglect.
That does not mean abandoning journalistic standards. Claims should be supported by evidence, factual errors should be corrected, and opinion should be identifiable as opinion.
The Heartlands
Our name reflects where we came from and whom we seek to represent.
The Heartlands are not simply a geographical location. They are the towns, villages, industrial communities and working-class neighbourhoods that built modern Britain but have repeatedly seen economic power, investment and political influence move elsewhere.
The Heartlands Tribune emerged from Labour Heartlands, but our development into an independent publication reflects a broader purpose.
We are not the media arm of the Labour Party, nor of any other political party.
Our concern is with the interests of working people rather than the fortunes of political organisations.
We will criticise governments, parties, corporations, institutions and movements when we believe criticism is warranted, regardless of where they sit on the conventional political spectrum.
Independence, Ownership and Funding
The Heartlands Tribune is independently owned and reader-funded.
The publication is operated by TAGME LTD, a UK-registered company, and was founded by Paul Knaggs, Editor-in-Chief.
We receive no funding from political parties, governments, corporations or institutional sponsors. We do not publish paid-for political content or sponsored articles disguised as journalism.
Our continued publication is supported primarily by voluntary contributions from readers, with any shortfall met by the publication’s owner.
Financial support does not purchase editorial influence.
Full details of our ownership and funding arrangements are available on our Ownership & Funding Information page.
Our Commitment to Readers
We aim to publish journalism that is direct, accessible and worth reading.
That means challenging powerful institutions, questioning received wisdom and giving space to arguments that may receive little attention elsewhere.
It also means being accountable.
When we make a substantive factual error, we believe it should be corrected. When an assertion is opinion, it should not be disguised as fact. When evidence changes, journalism should be capable of changing with it.
Our independence depends on our readers. Their support allows The Heartlands Tribune to remain free to read without surrendering editorial control to advertisers, wealthy proprietors or political patrons.
No billionaire owners. No paywalls. No corporate ads.
GIVE US THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION AND WE WILL BUILD YOU A BETTER TOMORROW.
Editorial and Legal Information
The views expressed in signed articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the position of every contributor associated with The Heartlands Tribune.
Reasonable care is taken in preparing material published on this website. Where errors are identified, we encourage readers to contact us so they can be reviewed and, where appropriate, corrected.
Links to external websites are provided for reference and convenience. The Heartlands Tribune is not responsible for material published on third-party websites.
Copyright and Reuse
Unless otherwise indicated, original material produced by The Heartlands Tribune is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence.
This means our original material may generally be shared for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate credit is given, the material is not altered, and the applicable licence conditions are followed.
Some photographs, video, quotations, documents and other third-party material appearing on The Heartlands Tribune are not owned by us and may therefore be subject to separate copyright restrictions.
Where third-party copyright material is used for purposes including news reporting, criticism, review or quotation, its use is intended to comply with applicable UK copyright law.
For permissions, corrections, editorial enquiries or other correspondence, please contact The Heartlands Tribune through our published contact details.
The Heartlands Tribune
Independent. Reader-funded. Ad-free.
