Lawrence Simanowitz, partner, Bates Wells has been referenced numerous times by The House of Lords in a recent report.
The House of Lords has published the report from its inquiry into The Future of UK Journalism. The report referred several times to the submission by Bates Wells partner Lawrence Simanowitz, who made the case for charitable recognition being given to public benefit journalism. In paragraph 309 of its report, the inquiry broadly supported Lawrence’s recommendation.
The inquiry covered similar themes to the Cairncross Review, a government-initiated review which proposed that charities may form part of a future solution to the damaging decline of local and high-quality journalism, and has endorsed many of its findings.
Lawrence Simanowitz said: “It is important that the government wakes up to this crisis. It need only take small steps which could have a big impact in preserving this important building block of our society. In the meantime, the Charity Commission is taking notice and we hope it too will take the small but significant actions that are needed.”
Lawrence is a specialist in advising UK and international charities, arts and media organisations, not-for-profits and social enterprises including their establishment, regulation, campaigning, governance, fundraising and commercial agreements. He is also on the advisory board of the not-for profit-organisation, The Public Benefit Journalism Research Centre. If you’d like to talk to Lawrie with regard to his views on the future of UK journalism, please contact him here.