Good afternoon from a very sunny Lancashire - the heatwave is well and truly here.
I imagine anyone reading this outside of the UK is rolling their eyes at us sweltering but it doesn’t take much for us Brits to be talking about the weather.
Here’s the latest What I’ve Been Reading Digest, bringing together some interesting bits which have crossed my feed. Let’s start with another government, or potential government intervention, when it comes to news...
Consultation to examine how ‘trustworthy’ news publishers should be categorised on social media - Charlotte Tobitt, Press Gazette - an interesting announcement from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport which on the one hand sounds positive but also a little sinister, if the government start having a say over what’s appearing in people’s feeds and search results. There does need to be something done though, as BehindLocalNews reported about the Southport Pontins site which saw crucial debunking done by Jamie Lopez in The Southport Lead, and other local titles, about disinformation being spread about asylum seekers being housed at the site (they are not).
We can see clips giving a certain narrative or slant getting huge traction on social and video platforms, but these ‘news’ clips are not bound by any professional code or conduct commitments? User-generated content has become commercialised in the form of creators, but not all come from a genuine place. It looks like the Green Paper called ‘Watch this Space: A new strategic direction for UK media’ aims to do something about this.
It’s crucial it does not narrow the field too much, so that particularly independent hyperlocal titles who are often the ones doing a lot of the debunking at the coalface of local news are restricted or only see themselves in it when larger titles or broadcasters cruise into the airspace and do a version/follow-up. Beware of unintended consequences.
What audiences actually need from you right now - Marcela Kunova, Journalism.co.uk - a great digest drilling down into what was in the Reuters Institute Digital News Report which is always packed with insight. I like the focus on what you need to be doing now to respond to audiences, which is different to what may be the right thing for your publication/organisation. Ultimately it is the readers/viewers who hold the trump card.
Audiences are not giving up on journalism. They are giving up on journalism that does not earn their attention: that updates without explaining, that publishes without considering what the reader actually needs, and that chases platform algorithms instead of reader loyalty.
New media guide launched to counter refugee, asylum and race disinformation in Northern Ireland - Raised Voices CIC - well done to Maeve Connolly and Laura Davis, who have both been on the JLeaders programme, for their work on some reporting guidelines which come in the wake of shocking scenes over there earlier this month. Maeve explains it better than I can...
“The media plays a crucial role in helping people to understand complex topics and to engage in critical thinking when they encounter misinformation and disinformation in their online and offline lives.
“These guidelines are the result of extensive work with members of Northern Ireland’s asylum seeking, refugee and ethnic minority communities and the organisations who support and advocate for them. They had a clear message for the media - do not frame us as either ‘victim’ or ‘threat’, treat us as members of the community and continue to highlight the positive contribution we make to Northern Ireland. The Participants’ Words section of the document allows members of asylum seeking, refugee and ethnic minority communities to speak directly to the media.
“We also worked closely with journalists to find out what they needed. They asked that the guidelines contain information on the correct terminology, data, the source of up-to-date statistics and how to keep interviewees safe.”
Nice to see Blog Preston holding steady in the most engaged with local news sites in the UK - sandwiched between the Sheffield Star and Peterborough Telegraph - one of the things we do as a Community Interest Company is reinvest what we make in more reporting on the city. And we also allocate a small pot of money each year for our Community Fund which can help charities, good causes, community groups and good ideas in the city to flourish. It helps BP to exist in the real world too (we’re a digital-only publication).
We are proud to have helped a memorial tree and garden be established at the Foxton’s youth and community centre in Avenham. One of their volunteers has built the planter with reclaimed bricks from the old centre which was replaced last year with a multi-million pound new building.
That’s all for the digest this week, thanks for reading and as always if there’s anything you think I should be featuring send it over to ed@almaonline.co.uk
Enjoy the sunshine, and the heat, and I’ll be back in your inbox next Wednesday.
Keep going.
Ed
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