Renfrewshire Liberal Democrats have backed calls for the Scottish Government to introduce a dedicated fund to support local journalism.
The local party has signed an open letter from The Scottish Beacon calling for measures aimed at supporting local news outlets.
Paisley Southwest councillor Anne Hannigan and Grant Toghill, the party’s candidate for Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank, have backed the campaign.
The Scottish Beacon launched the campaign after Scottish publishers were excluded from the UK Government’s new Local News Fund, worth up to £12 million in total.
The open letter calls for a Scottish Local News Fund, greater investment of public advertising in independent local news and funded journalism placements which independent publishers can access.
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur has also lodged a written parliamentary question asking what consideration the Scottish Government has given to establishing a local news fund to provide financial support to local news outlets.
Anne Hannigan said: “Local journalism plays an incredibly important role in our communities as a source of reliable information and local scrutiny.
“I am proud that the Renfrewshire Liberal Democrats are fully backing The Scottish Beacon’s open letter and its call for a Scottish Local News Fund.
“With the amount of misinformation increasingly rapidly on social media, the value of trustworthy local news sources in Paisley and wider Renfrewshire is only going to increase further.”
Grant Toghill said: “The Scottish Government need to join with other nations across the UK to step up and support local journalism.
“We cannot allow a situation where local news outlets in England and Wales can access financial support, but Scottish outlets cannot.
“That’s why we as a local party have signed The Scottish Beacon’s open letter. If we don’t act to support these outlets now with a Scottish Local News Fund, we will only mourn the loss of them later.”
Ricky Kelly, editor of Renfrewshire News, said: “Independent local journalism plays an important role in keeping people informed about what is happening in their communities.
“Running a local news service comes with significant costs, and smaller independent outlets, like Renfrewshire News, do not always have access to the same resources as larger organisations.
“Any proposals aimed at supporting sustainable local journalism should be looked at seriously, provided funding is available fairly and does not compromise the editorial independence of news organisations.”