Ownership, Funding and Editorial Independence
The Heartlands Tribune is an independent, reader-funded British news and opinion publication. We have no billionaire proprietor, corporate sponsor or advertising network directing what we publish.
Our editorial independence depends on maintaining a clear separation between financial support and editorial influence.
1. Ownership and Publisher
The Heartlands Tribune is operated by TAGME LTD, a UK-registered company.
The publication was founded by Paul Knaggs, who serves as Editor-in-Chief and retains full independent ownership and editorial control.
All initial funding, website development and digital infrastructure for the publication, including its associated social media platforms, were provided and developed by Paul Knaggs.
The Heartlands Tribune has no corporate shareholders, political-party ownership, institutional backers or hidden stakeholders exercising editorial control.
2. How We Are Funded
The Heartlands Tribune is primarily supported by voluntary contributions from its readers.
We do not run commercial display advertising, and we do not publish sponsored articles or paid political content disguised as journalism.
Reader contributions help meet the costs of:
- website hosting and infrastructure
- security and technical services
- software and publishing tools
- maintaining our digital presence
- the continuing production and distribution of our journalism
Where reader support does not meet these costs, the remaining shortfall is covered by the publication’s owner and Editor-in-Chief.
3. Donations and Transparency
Financial support does not purchase editorial influence.
To date, the largest individual contribution received by The Heartlands Tribune has been £100.
As part of our commitment to transparency, any single donation from an individual or organisation exceeding £5,000 will be disclosed publicly on this page.
We reserve the right to refuse or return any contribution where we believe accepting it could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, our editorial independence.
Donors and supporters have no contractual right to influence our reporting, commentary, editorial priorities or choice of contributors.
4. Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions are made independently of donors, commercial interests, political parties and outside organisations.
The Heartlands Tribune publishes from an openly left-wing perspective, but we are not owned, funded or controlled by the Labour Party or any other political organisation.
Our responsibility is to our readers and to the principles of independent journalism.
That means we remain free to criticise governments, political parties, corporations, trade unions, institutions and movements where the evidence and public interest warrant it.
5. Advertising and Sponsored Content
The Heartlands Tribune does not currently rely on commercial advertising as a source of revenue.
We do not publish advertorials or sponsored articles presented as independent editorial content.
Should our funding model materially change in the future, this page will be updated to reflect that change.
6. Accountability
We believe readers should be able to understand who owns a publication, who funds it and whether financial relationships may influence its journalism.
For that reason, we aim to keep this page current and to disclose any material change to our ownership or funding arrangements.
Questions about ownership, funding or editorial independence can be directed to:
The Heartlands Tribune
Editor-in-Chief: Paul Knaggs
Published and operated by TAGME LTD
Email: contact@heartlandstribune.com
For more information, please see our About, Privacy Policy, Corrections Policy and Editorial Standards pages.
Independent. Reader-funded. Ad-free.
No billionaire owners. No paywalls. No corporate ads.
