The award-winning team behind OnTheWight are driven by the mission to bring the people of the Isle of Wight (and beyond) straight, honest and clear independent journalism – the kind of reporting Islanders deserve.
The News OnTheWight team is flattered to hear that those goals have been recognised by the people of the Island, bestowing the ultimate accolade – that they Trust what they read here. Hearing that makes the team very proud.
Background
Starting life way back in September 2005 as VentnorBlog, News OnTheWight has grown in audience; breadth of reporting and community engagement to become part of the fabric of Isle of Wight life.
A core of journalists, reporters and enthusiastic contributors have helped build the success of the publication, which is visited more than 120,000 times a month and has a strong social media network on Facebook and Twitter.
Editorial
OnTheWight is a member of the only officially-sanctioned UK press regulator, IMPRESS. News OnTheWight adhere to their Standards Code and have been awarded a ‘Trust in Journalism’ mark by them.
News OnTheWight goes to great lengths to ensure that the articles that we produce are accurate, factual, verified and unbiased. News OnTheWight also have a clear separation between news and opinion, with Opinion Pieces being clearly marked (example). Display ads are also clearly separated. If we reference the reporting of another publication, we will always list it as a source.
News OnTheWight has no political affiliations.
Join the OnTheWight family
Over the time the publication has been running, more than 2,700 people (as at September 2023) have had articles published by us, connecting many of them to an audience they wouldn’t otherwise have reached.
You can get in touch with Editorial team and Contributors.
Innovation
News OnTheWight use technical advances to get our readers closer to the news and events. News OnTheWight has reporting live from significant Isle of Wight council meetings as far back as February 2007.
As well as tweeting from Bestival as far back as 2006, News OnTheWight also delivered live video broadcasts from Bestival in 2008 to give those unable to attend, a flavour of what they were missing.
National involvement
Involved in local media discussions and policy at a National level, previously meeting with the Minister of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to discuss the future of local media in the UK.
News OnTheWight remain committed to independently-owned, professionally-run news publications that have served local communities around the United Kingdom for many years, being founding members of the Local Digital Newspaper Association (LDNA).
Ownership and financing
News OnTheWight is published by On The Wight Ltd (10984413) a privately-owned British company led by Sally and Simon Perry.
The site derives its income from advertising and readers’ donations (which convey no editorial influence).
Data related
OnTheWight is a Data Controller under the Data Protection Act 1998. This means that News OnTheWight are responsible for how and why your personal information is used.
News OnTheWight are committed to respecting your privacy and to complying with the Data Protection Act and any other relevant privacy laws, as detailed in our Privacy Policy.
