Local news journalism consists of small publications that report news that is specific to their region. With the rise of digital media, especially social media, its popularity has declined. But recently, the Internet might have breathed new life into these small publications. Scroll to learn how!
Local news publications mostly operate on funds they generate from selling advertising space.
The necessity for these publications was mainly reliant on organisations with smaller advertising budgets and a need for information that was relevant to local communities but not newsworthy enough for commercial papers.
Post Web 2.0, organisations with little to no advertising budgets could promote themselves on social media for free.
People also no longer needed to wait an entire news cycle to receive local news but could easily mass distribute information on social media.
The future of local news publications seemed dire, but media update's Joreke Kleynhans outlines how the most recent wave of communication modernisation might actually be reviving local journalism.
Digitalisation Saves Publications Money
A common problem among local news publications is a lack of funding. They aren't so sought after that they can charge a high price for their papers, and their advertising space is also no longer in high demand.
The Internet, however, makes online newsrooms possible through things like e-mail and shared productivity tools.
Online distribution saves publications money in the long run because distribution costs decrease heavily using the Internet.
Local News Reports are More Accessible Online
When a product's popularity declines, it's best to remove obstacles to accessing it. Making local news reports accessible online in an age where most people have smartphones makes the process of reading much easier.
Many newsrooms even start by only publishing on social platforms that don't charge any usage fees.
A Shorter News Cycle Keeps Them Relevant
Social media and instant communication have made it even more crucial for news publications to stay ahead.
News becomes irrelevant with age, and if a publication's news cycle is a week, the "news" will have hit the streets long before they can get to publishing.
With the Internet, local newsrooms can report in real-time and stay relevant by distributing information while it's still hot.
Although the Internet forced the local journalism industry to change, it is helping to keep the publications that embraced change alive.
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Citizen journalism is an easy sphere to access, but it's also easy to slip up on. Play it safe by reading our article, How to practice ethical citizen journalism.
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