Madrid No Frills is an independent media project exploring the issues and events that define Madrid today. It was created by me, Leah, and has around 10 regular contributors.
Since the summer of 2016, when MNF was born, I’ve been driven to bring you real-life stories told by the very people that don’t receive the media coverage they deserve. Understand how racism, exploitation and poverty is structural, and how communities experiencing this are overcoming it together. This growing platform is for their stories to be told, and for their unfiltered voice to be heard by you.
Madrid No Frills was founded by me, Leah Pattem, and is a space for madrileñes to investigate and share stories about our city that the mainstream media repeatedly refuse to prioritise.
We have a social media following of over 50,000 people, reach 25,000 online readers per month, and have never even paid for advertising. You can find MNF featured by the BBC, Condé Nast Traveller 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 support Madrid No Frills, you can become a Patron and help this project continue to grow.
FUNDING
Madrid No Frills is a not-for-profit media project. The platform is a labour of love for the city of Madrid, and minimally funded by members via Patreon. A further source of income comes from sales of photographs and my courses.
JOURNALISM STANDARDS AND ETHICS
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.
This media project is proud to practise ethical writing, photography and interviewing. 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.
All comments across all of MNF’s platforms are moderated and monitored so that no contributors or members of our audience may experience harm of any kind.