12/12/16 - Local news reporting is vital – so journalists like me are fighting for its future (27)
This article by Sam Blackledge, chief reporter on the Plymouth Herald, essentially details the plight that local news reporters have had to deal with in recent years. Starting with the initial signs of the credit crunch in the summer of 2008, Blackledge details how he never would have thought the financial crash would impact the journalism profession in the way that it did. Going from readers actually not buying newspapers, to advertisers withdrawing from the pages and offices eventually closing, these were the beginnings of the dismantlement of the newspaper industry. Citing how things like social media are replacing traditions in news gathering, he describes how young reporters despite their talent are now becoming disillusioned with the industry. With the profession being referred to as something of a social good, Blackledge recognises that less people adopting it could cause less accountability within our society for authority - democratic deficit (Press Gazette, Mike Gilson). One of the more notable examples of the issues local newspapers have been able to raise is the cover-up at Pennine Acute NHS Trust by the Manchester Evening News where it was revealed that hospital attempted to hide the state of the maternity services there. This all said, Blackledge puts across effectively why exactly local news reporting is vital within our society.
Personally I feel that this article acts a reiteration of what we already know about not just the general death of newspapers, but local news reporting too. From the perspective of a journalist himself you understand the sheer impact that this decline is having, even deterring young potential journalists to pursue it themselves. It appears that one of the more worrying things is the lack of accountability of authority that will follow if local news reporting stops since it's often this that conduct extremely vital investigative journalism.
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