Reading Chronicle is the online home of Berkshire's long-running local newspaper. Operated by Newsquest Media Group, the domain has been active since 1997 — a strong sign of stability. The site uses modern security features like HTTPS and spam protections, and its contact details and social media links are easy to find. What's missing is a privacy policy and terms of service, which is unusual for a site that offers newsletters and digital subscriptions. Most other UK local news sites provide these. If you're visiting for headlines, sports coverage, or community notices, you're on safe ground. For anyone concerned about data use, it's worth noting the gap, but it doesn't make the site itself a scam. Verified.fyi gives readingchronicle.co.uk a trust score of 80, meaning it's considered a trusted source for local news. There's no indication this is a fake or malicious site.
In plain English
Reading Chronicle is a genuine local newspaper that has been covering Berkshire for decades. The site is well-maintained technically, with strong security and a clear connection to a known publisher. The missing privacy policy is a minor compliance issue, but it doesn't undermine the overall trustworthiness of the news you'll find here.
Where the score comes from
Strong encryption and security headers are in place, exactly what you'd expect from a legitimate news website. No blacklist history or malware flags.
The domain is nearly 30 years old and registered to Newsquest Media Group, a well-known UK newspaper publisher. That's a solid ownership trail.
Clean blacklist status and a mid-range web rank suggest a long-running site with steady traffic, not a fly-by-night operation. The absence of Trustpilot is normal for a local newspaper.
The site clearly lists its contact info, an about page, and links to multiple social media accounts. That's more openness than many local papers offer.
Missing a privacy policy and terms of service is a real gap for a site that likely runs newsletters and subscriptions. Most UK news sites have these in place.
Hosted on Microsoft Azure with proper email authentication and fast load times. No major weaknesses here, just a minor lack of DNSSEC.
What we checked
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