Madrid No Frills is an independent media project exploring the issues and events that define Madrid today. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning journalist, Leah Pattem.
I launched Madrid No Frills to fill a gap in local storytelling for Madrid’s English-speaking residents. This bilingual hyper-local media platform focuses on the underreported side of Madrid, particularly stories from underrepresented communities. Over the years, MNF has become a valuable source of hard news, critical information and analysis, and knowledge that empowers Madrid’s citizens. MNF remains editorially independent – one of its greatest strengths.
Madrid No Frills now a social media following of over 50,000, and reaches 25,000 online readers per month – and I have never paid for advertising. You can find this platform featured by the BBC and Al Jazeera, as well as Spanish publications El País, El Diario, Público, and more.
Follow MNF on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and subscribe to my newsletter here. If you’d like to financially support Madrid No Frills, please consider becoming a Patron and helping this project continue to grow.
Editor and founder of MNF, Leah Pattem
I’m a multi-award-winning journalist, film maker and photojournalist working in investigations, breaking news and analysis in Spain, Europe and the UK. I work in both English and Spanish with BBC, El País, The Guardian, Times, Al Jazeera and more.
I’m also a teacher with nearly two decades’ experience. I run journalism and photography courses for school and university students and professional journalists looking to expand their field. I’m an experienced public speaker and organise regular free talks to expand the dialogue around the stories I’m investigating.
Journalism standards, ethics and AI policy
Leah Pattem, the founder of MNF, is an accredited journalist registered with the Federación de Sindicatos de Periodistas (FeSP), whose Madrid branch, El Sindicato de Periodistas de Madrid (SPM), recognises Madrid No Frills as a trusted and informative platform.
Leah is a practising news, features, investigations and broadcast journalist for major media platforms – including El País, the Guardian, BBC and others – and is a journalism professor. Leah holds two of Europe’s most prestigious journalism awards: the European Press Prize and IJ4EU Impact Award.
Madrid No Frills is proud to practise ethical writing, photography, research and interviewing, and does not use any AI-generated content. We put the people telling the story at the centre of the story and minimise, as much as possible, any potential risk they may face in their collaboration with us.