Novara Media

A UK independent, not-for-profit media organisation producing left-wing news, video, podcasts and live shows, funded by supporter donations.

About Novara Media

Novara Media is an independent UK media organisation covering politics, economics and major issues of the 21st century such as capitalism, racism and climate change. It makes written articles, a weekday live news show called Novara Live, video, podcasts and events. Its journalism is openly political and intended to encourage action. Its shows include Novara Live, Downstream, Interviews and Do Your Own Research, and its series include Death in Westminster, Foreign Agent and Planet B.

Its About page describes it as 'driven to build a new media for a different politics'. It says it is funded almost entirely by supporters' donations, with smaller income from merchandise, event tickets and some advertising, and is regulated by the press regulator IMPRESS. It does not use a paywall.

Novara began in 2011 as an hour-long show on London community station Resonance FM, started by James Butler and Aaron Bastani, and became Novara Media in 2013. It is a UK not-for-profit, trading as Thousand Hands Ltd, and Wikipedia says it has offices in London and Leeds; its registered office is in Dorset. Its YouTube channel has more than a million subscribers. The name comes from the Italian city of Novara, which features in the 1971 film The Working Class Goes to Heaven. Its audience is mainly 18 to 30 year olds who are dissatisfied with traditional news, according to Wikipedia.

Its team page lists directors and editors across articles, audio, video and digital, plus producers and operations, fundraising, design and social media staff. Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani are among its best-known voices. Wikipedia says that in 2024 it had 25 staff, all paid the same hourly rate, which is the sort of detail it presents about its culture, though we did not find the company's own statement.

The roles at Novara include editors and commissioning editors, video and audio producers, presenters, social media and fundraising staff, and designers. A contributor list shows many writers work as associates, including James Butler, Craig Gent, Moya Lothian-McLean and Dalia Gebrial. Its 2024 reported audience included about 500,000 monthly website visits, so it also needs web and audience staff. Its jobs page was not read, so check novaramedia.com for the latest openings.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Weekday news and politics show.', 'title': 'Novara Live'}
• {'desc': 'Analysis, opinion and reporting.', 'title': 'Articles and long reads'}
• {'desc': 'Including Novara FM and Downstream.', 'title': 'Podcasts and series'}
• {'desc': 'Supporter events and email updates.', 'title': 'Events and newsletters'}

Key facts

• Founded 2011 by James Butler and Aaron Bastani (Wikipedia)
• Trades as Thousand Hands Ltd, a not-for-profit company (About page)
• Offices in London and Leeds (Wikipedia)
• About 25 staff in 2024 (Wikipedia)

Website: novaramedia.com