A group of journalists in the North East is set to launch a new publication which aims to fill a niche for in-depth writing.

The team behind Northern Correspondent hopes to bring new “long form journalism’’ to the region in a financially viable product

The initiative comes from former Guardian section editor and lecturer Ian Wylie, freelancer Chris Stokel-Walker, and BBC journalists Sophie Bauckham and Bob Cooper.

The team has used Kickstarter – a platform which helps creative projects find backing – to land support for the first two magazines and it is hoped to produce an issue twice yearly.

Already the team has hit its initial £2.5k target and are now seeking up to £4k for a second issue.

Said Ian: “I’m a journalist and I’m interested in words. I’m not interested in trying to flog it to people who might use the mag to sell restaurants or hotels. That was a business model that worked in a time of mass media, but one that’s not as easy these days.

“We’re served well by various local media, but for the in-depth stuff you’ve got to wait for one of the nationals to give something the 3,000 word treatment. For me, that’s not enough.

“The idea with Northern Correspondent is not to fund a whole office full of reporters, but to gauge appetite and demand to work on an issue-by-issue basis before perhaps moving onto a subscription model.”

As well as journalists, backers includes photographers, film-makers and illustrators. Ian hopes the project can evolve into other mediums besides print.

He added: “Kickstarter is a really good way of dipping your toe in the water and taking stock after the first one.

“I don’t think we’d like to go out there and crowd fund for each issue. Not least because people get a sort of campaign fatigue. At the start of a project it’s ideal.

“We’re really keen to have that direct engagement with our readers, gauging their interest, and even collaborating with them.“

Ian and the team plan to have the first issue printed and distributed by the middle of April before moving on to the next.