The Mill (newspaper)

For individual mills in Manchester, see List of mills in Manchester.

The Mill
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatOnline newspaper
FounderJoshi Herrmann
LaunchedJune 2020 (2020-06)
LanguageEnglish
CityGreater Manchester
CountryEngland
Sister newspapers
  • The Sheffield Tribune
  • The Liverpool Post
  • The Birmingham Dispatch
  • The Glasgow Bell
  • The Londoner
Websitemanchestermill.co.uk

The Mill, also known as The Manchester Mill, is an online newspaper covering Greater Manchester, England. Launched in June 2020, it publishes in-depth articles via email and the web for paying members alongside shorter versions for free subscribers. During its first year of operation, it gained more than 1,000 paying members and over 13,000 subscribers to its free mailing list.[1]

The publication is primarily funded by subscription revenue,[2] and, since October 2022, has been financially self-sustaining.[3] It has also received a grant from its hosting platform, Substack—the only UK-based publication to receive funding from the programme[4]—which enabled it to establish two sister publications in other northern England cities: The Tribune in Sheffield, and The Post in Liverpool.[5]

On 14 December 2021, a 56-page print edition of The Mill was published, with 15,000 copies distributed in Manchester city centre.[6] In August 2023, Mill Media secured £350,000 in seed investment from a group of prominent media figures, including Sir Mark Thompson, former Director‑General of the BBC and former president and CEO of The New York Times Company. The funding round was intended to support the organisation's expansion into additional UK cities.[7]

Following the investment, The Mill announced plans to extend its model of long‑form local journalism beyond its existing titles in Manchester, Sheffield, and Liverpool. Coverage in Prolific North noted that the company was exploring launches in cities such as Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow and Birmingham as part of its next phase of growth.[8]

In 2024 a Glasgow title, The Bell, and a London edition, The Londoner, were launched.[9][10] By 2025, reporting by the journalism institute Poynter described Mill Media as a growing local‑news network employing journalists in six cities, reflecting the wider expansion enabled by the 2023 funding round.[11] By this time, the publisher had over 11,000 paying subscribers over all titles.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Bridge, Rowan (23 August 2021). "The World at One 23/08/2021". The World at One. 30:50 minutes in. BBC. Radio 4. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  2. ^ Burrell, Ian (8 August 2021). "Long reads and no ads: the Manchester start-up hoping to provide a future for local journalism". i. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  3. ^ Sharman, David (2 November 2022). "Independent city news title breaks even two years after launch". Hold the Front Page. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  4. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (4 June 2021). "Substack invests in 'thoughtful and nuanced' local news in Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  5. ^ Granger, Jacob (13 August 2021). "Must-have skills for a media startup CEO: Joshi Herrmann of The Mill". journalism.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  6. ^ Maher, Bron (21 December 2021). "Manchester Mill celebrates first year and 1,000 members with print run". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  7. ^ Edwards, Jim (30 August 2023). "Leading media figures invest £350,000 in local news start-up The Mill". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 8 October 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  8. ^ Newbould, Chris (30 August 2023). "Manchester Mill eyes expansion following £350k funding from major media names". Prolific North. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  9. ^ Maher, Bron (25 September 2024). "Mill Media to launch Glasgow title The Bell on Monday". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  10. ^ Maher, Bron (29 October 2024). "Mill Media follows launch of Glasgow title The Bell with 'The Londoner'". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 4 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  11. ^ Djinis, Elizabeth (25 January 2025). "A new local news empire, built on newsletters, is growing in the United Kingdom". Poynter. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  12. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (4 September 2025). "From Washington Post to Manchester's Mill Media for new investigations editor". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
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