Newsquest Media Group has secured £125,000 in government funding for a journalism initiative in London.
The London Local News Lab will develop reporting in communities that are currently underserved by local news coverage.
The initiative is one of 11 London news organisations selected to receive support through the £6 million Local News Fund.
The programme aims to strengthen the long-term viability of local journalism and support its expansion.
An app within the initiative will allow journalists to record video interviews and collect audio, photographs and written notes while covering local areas.
Artificial intelligence will assist with producing transcripts, draft articles, condensed video overviews and material intended for social platforms.
Journalists and editors will check all outputs before publication.
The technology is intended to automate repetitive production work and allow reporters to spend more time covering events and issues directly within communities.
The funding will also support a localised news service for Hammersmith and Fulham.
The service will include reporting shaped by community participation, coverage in several formats and involvement with nearby schools.
An open seminar will present the findings of the pilot to the local news industry.
The award forms part of the Government’s Local Media Action Plan, which seeks to help local publishers respond to changes in audience behaviour and establish sustainable income streams.
Media Minister Ian Murray said local media had long been regarded as a highly trusted source of news.
He added that an increasingly complex media landscape had prompted some outlets to reduce staffing levels or close.
The Government aims to support a sustainable local media sector in London and elsewhere in England that reflects community concerns and provides reliable information.
Murray said the Local News Fund would encourage newsroom innovation and the development of business models tailored to online audiences.
It would also support the production of reliable, high-quality journalism for towns and villages across Britain.
Ten other London organisations have received funding through the programme.
Citizen News and Media Limited, publisher of the Hackney Citizen, has been granted £89,667 for an AI-powered investigations platform with data-led reporting functions and features designed to generate revenue from readers.
The Millers Publishing Company Limited has received £125,000 for a platform intended to improve reader data and engagement across seven local titles, including The Londoner.
Modern Standard Media Ltd, publisher of Putney News, Battersea News and Tooting News, has been awarded £108,685.
The funding will support detailed neighbourhood information on planning permissions, licensing, roadworks and statutory notices, as well as a printed edition and paid membership option.
Harrow Online Ltd has secured £125,000 to develop newsletters and subscription infrastructure.
The Havering Daily Ltd has received £57,000 for a platform intended to increase audience numbers and generate revenue.
Social Spider CIC has been granted £29,559 to increase income from supporters of publications including the Waltham Forest Echo, Enfield Dispatch and Barnet Post.
Other recipients include Salamander Media Limited, OCN Technology, The Peel Institute Company and Social Streets CIC.
Applicants for the Local News Fund had to demonstrate experience delivering local journalism in England or Wales for at least 12 months.
Assessors considered the standard of the proposed work, its deliverability and the likely immediate and long-term effects.