So you’ve watched me rattle through all the reasons why you, a Bristol Cable reader, should back the work we’re doing, and I managed to include a lot!
However, that’s just a fraction of what we’ve achieved since we launched almost a decade ago.
If you’ve got another 60 seconds or so, take a look at our expanded list of what the Cable has achieved for Bristol and, if you haven’t yet supported our work and become a member (and owner!), consider this a sign…
It’s time to #BackTheCable.
The Cable’s impact since 2014
Our membership model means that Cable journalists can focus on digging into important stories that can be costly and risky, but which help make Bristol a better place.
Our journalism has improved local democracy, led to criminal charges, demystified council processes, been cited in parliament and used as a case study in research into the future of media.
2014
- We launched the Cable with a crowdfunding campaign, bringing together 100 people from across the city to form a media co-op
2016
- Our reporting contributed to human rights cases changing the way police use powerful surveillance tools
2017
- We helped change Bristol City Council’s policies on secrecy rules over controversial housing developments
2018
- Following our #BootOutBailiffs campaign, Bristol City Council changed its policies on the aggressive use of bailiffs for council tax debts
- We challenged stereotypes and media bias with an in-depth series on issues facing Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
2019
- Our groundbreaking, five-year investigation into the ‘Ice Cream Slavery’ case was published, illuminating the slavery-like conditions and dilapidated housing inflicted by a local landlord and businessman. The case resulted in the area’s first Modern Day Slavery charges.
- We were awarded the 2019 British Journalism Award for local journalism
- We unmasked one of Britain’s most elusive crime bosses, who was behind a series of major crimes in Bristol and beyond
- We called out dodgy campaigning by local candidates standing in the general election
2020
- Our journalists kept going through the pandemic to bring readers up-to-date data on the spread of the virus, investigate conditions in care homes and hospitals, and support mutual aid efforts across the city
- Shortlisted for the 2020 Orwell Foundation Prize
- We built our own in-house membership platform, that we shared and continue to develop as an open-source tool for other membership media teams, and making us less reliant on Big Tech and protecting our members data
Independent. Investigative. Indispensable.
Investigative journalism strengthens democracy – it’s a necessity, not a luxury.
The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,500 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.
We are on a mission to become sustainable, and our first target is to raise our membership income by 50% within 12 months. Will you help us get there?
Join the Cable today2021
- We documented the situation on the ground during Bristol’s Kill the Bill protests, helping to correct the record when national papers were reporting the police force’s narratives
- We informed thousands of voters in the local elections, and held candidates to account with the ‘Citizens’ Agenda’, a list of priorities crowdsourced from readers
- Matty Edwards was highly commended for his reporting on the closure of a private children’s mental health ward at The Priory
- A meticulous and dogged investigation into temporary accommodation in south Bristol contributed to a local MP raising concerns with the council, which led to a change in policy
- Our investigation into water pollution from sewage in and around Bristol was cited in parliament, and won an award for the freelancer who produced it
2022
- We helped the city debate the implications of the Colston statue being torn down and the protesters standing trial
- We exposed a dodgy Bristol carpentry firm that kept changing their name to avoid detection, after which several customers received hundreds of pounds in refunds
- We won the Independent Media Association award for Most Innovative Print Publication
- We won the Independent Media Association award for Local Journalism
- The Cable was cited as a case study in Dr. Marianne Colbran’s book ‘Crime and Investigative Reporting in the UK’ for breaking stereotypes in reporting on marginalised communities
- We uncovered the existence of flammable cladding in the wake of a tower block fire in inner-city Bristol, and told the stories of those affected
2023
- Our reporter Sean Morrison was nominated for the Orwell Prize for Journalism for his series of investigations into high-rise living in Bristol, Life in Lansdowne, including a major investigation into the death of Shannon Beirne and the police response
- We submitted evidence to Bristol’s Living Rent Commission following in-depth reporting on rent controls, as part of our year-long series of high-quality solutions journalism on the Future of Cities – after which the council committed to publishing a searchable database of rogue landlords
- Our weekly Bristol Round-Up newsletter was nominated for Best Newsletter at the Future of Media Awards, the only local newsletter on the list alongside the Financial Times, Bloomberg, The Spectator etc.
Phew! Here’s to the next decade – with your support, we can do it. The future of independent, hard-hitting media is in your hands. Please help spread the word.
Keep proper journalism alive. If you’re anti-corporations, anti-oligarchs, anti-bullshit, then it’s time to #BackTheCable.
Join 2,500 Cable members redefining local media
Your support will help the Cable grow, deepening our connections in the city and investigating the issues that matter most in our communities.
