Coronavirus: NI's local papers 'need support lifeline'

The SDLP is proposing the executive should put together a coronavirus support package for Northern Ireland’s local papers.

The lockdown has made it harder to sell newspapers and the industry has also been hit by a steep fall in advertising revenue.

The party’s south Belfast MLA Matthew O’Toole has suggested a five-point plan.

It includes a business rates holiday and more advertising by public bodies.

"Local and regional papers are not just sources of information, though that is vital, they are the meeting point of people and places," Mr O'Toole said.

"It is unthinkable that the Northern Ireland Executive would let local papers go to the wall."

Some weekly titles in Northern Ireland have already temporarily stopped publication with staff being furloughed.

Mr O’Toole has also suggested a £1m fund which would be used to train new journalists and allow papers to invest in digital skills and products.

The coronavirus crisis has come on top of a long period of difficult structural change in the newspaper industry.

The shift to online media has seen sales and advertising revenue fall relentlessly.