FÜLKE – Community of Independent Local Newsrooms

About the network

FÜLKE was created by independent local newsrooms in Hungary that face similar professional, financial and organisational challenges. We started working together because we believe that strong local journalism is essential for democratic public life, especially in smaller cities and regions where independent information is often limited.

Our mission is to strengthen public-interest local journalism through cooperation, knowledge sharing and mutual support. As a group, we help each other develop more sustainable editorial and business models, improve audience engagement, share professional experience, and increase the visibility of independent local media in Hungary.

By working together, we can achieve more than we could as individual newsrooms: we can learn from each other, build common tools and practices, support one another in difficult situations, and represent the value of independent local journalism more effectively.

Projects

One recent development we are proud of is the creation of joint action groups within FÜLKE. These working groups help our member newsrooms move from informal cooperation toward a more structured network.

The action groups focus on several practical areas: joint grant applications, common sales and advertising opportunities, advocacy for independent local journalism, shared editorial cooperation, internal governance, visual identity, and the development of a shared digital knowledge base. We are also working on defining coordination roles and identifying public representatives of the network.

We are particularly proud that these workstreams address both editorial and organisational needs. For small independent local newsrooms, sustainability is not only an editorial question, but also a question of business development, audience engagement, legal and operational knowledge, and mutual support.

Another important example is our common work on knowledge sharing. Members exchange experience about reader revenue, newsletters, events, community building, editorial workflows, grant writing and new formats such as video and podcasts. This helps local newsrooms avoid isolation and learn from each other’s practical solutions.

These projects are still developing, but they are important foundations for a stronger, more visible and more resilient network of independent local media in Hungary.

Website:
https://afulke.hu/

Contact: 
fulke@afulke.hu

Contact

Website: https://afulke.hu