For more than four decades, Press Gazette has provided an independent voice for the UK's journalism industry.
It has reported, campaigned, cajoled, analysed, gossiped and debated the issues that matter to journalists from national newspapers, regional newspapers, consumer, B2B and customer magazines, news broadcasters and more recently from digital platforms.
In recent years, however, its ownership has been something of a hot potato. Seven different owners have, for various reasons, bought and sold it.
So today we are proposing a radical alternative. We believe that the industry itself should own the title.
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Our proposal is the establishment of a Trust, the aim of which would be to publish Press Gazette as a profitable enterprise while ensuring its editorial independence — much in the way the Scott Trust does for the newspapers it owns.
We believe, after taking soundings from some of the industry's key players, that the proposal could win widespread support. This week we are outlining our plans to around 40 journalism industry chief executives — and to other organisations with an interest in UK journalism— and inviting them to become founding members of the Press Gazette Trust.
The proposal requires a modest seed funding from each of the founding trustees, but also outlines the benefits that they would see from their involvement. Fuller details can be found on this web site.
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The men and women who run the major journalism organisations in this country will not always see eye to eye with us. From time to time they will have been infuriated by what is written in these pages, just as they will have been pleased to be praised. But we hope they will recognise how important it is for us to reflect the tribulations as well as the triumphs of this vibrant, creative industry.
In a world where journalists are not always valued as they should be by the public they serve, Press Gazette provides a voice that speaks up for them and their freedoms — regardless of whether they're tabloid or broadsheet, glossy or weekly, news or features, frontline or back bench, paid-for or free, investigative or paparazzi, digital or analogue.
You, the industry, can help make sure that voice remains strong and independent for the next four decades and beyond.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
