The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has launched the new Community Newswire initiative to expand media exposure for community and voluntary groups.

The Home Office-funded project will boost the groups’ contact with the media and provide journalists with a new source of stories.

In partnership between the Media Trust and The Press Association it will deliver news stories direct to the desktops of journalists at regional press and broadcast news organisations around England.

At the launch of the service at PA headquarters in London, Mr Blunkett said: “For citizens to participate fully in their communities and in our democratic society, they need to be able to engage with the media to make their voices heard.

“The Community Newswire, an innovative and very welcome idea, will make an enormous contribution to this and that is why the Home Office is making a grant of over £500,000 over two years to the project.

“I hope that all voluntary groups will take advantage of this service, and I encourage media organisations to increase their coverage of community activities by using it.”

A team of journalists based at The Press Association will select and write stories daily from news releases submitted by community organisations.

Around 20 stories a day will go out on The Press Association’s regional newswires in England and will be available for PA customers to publish.

All newswire stories will be available on PA’s website, pamediapoint.press.net, allowing journalists who do not have access to PA’s newswire to use them.

The stories will also be on the Community Newswire website, communitynewswire, which will be available to anyone.

Caroline Diehl, chief executive of the Media Trust, said: “This is a hugely significant initiative and the Media Trust will help voluntary or community groups who want support with their media activities through online guidance, seminars and the expertise of volunteer communications professionals.”

Paul Potts, chief executive and editor-in-chief at The Press Association, said: “The Press Association is aware of the need to tap every source of information in order to provide a truly comprehensive news service to our customers.”

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