Update, 28 October 2024: Mill Media has completed its latest round of expansion, following its Glasgow title The Bell with the launch of “The Londoner” in the capital. It is the sixth brand from the local newsletter publisher and the second to be launched away from Substack , where the network of titles originated. The Londoner is starting out with three full-time reporters — feature writer and critic Hannah Williams, former FT staffer Miles Ellingham and former Press Gazette reporter Andrew Kersley.
A dedicated editor for the brand has not yet been hired. As at The Bell, stories on The Londoner will initially be free to read before moving behind a paywall in the next few months. The title’s first story was an exclusive by Kersley reporting that a Labour MP is “the landlord of a failing children’s home”, which The Londoner says the MP has threatened to sue over and was briefly acknowledged by Keir Starmer during a press conference.
The launch adds another small, paid-for journalism brand to London’s media scene. This summer saw the opening of London Centric, a Substack-based publication from former Guardian media editor Jim Waterson , the launch of a paywall at fellow London news Substack London Spy and the fifth birthday of London-focused print magazine The Fence . Mill Media founder and interim Londoner editor Joshi Herrmann told Press Gazette “there will be some great competition for us in London”, citing other brands including the local government-focu.
