Does local journalism need saving? We opened this week with this loaded question because, frankly, there is a whiff of despondency in the air, one that is mildly nauseating for a cohort of journalism students.
Local journalism was once the beating heart of the industry. It was where reporters cut their teeth, knocking on doors along the high street, sitting through interminable council meetings, learning which pub landlord knew everything and which councillor knew nothing but would talk anyway.
But looking at the numbers, Press Gazette reports roughly 300 local newspapers have shut down in the past two decades. The UK’s largest local publishers, Newsquest, Reach and National World, employ a fraction of the staff they once did.
It’s tempting to conclude that local journalism is haemorrhaging; that the local reporter belongs alongside the paper boy and milkman in the museum of fondly remembered professions.
But most of our journalistic heroes began there, on patch, before ascending to the national and international stage.
Without local journalism, is the career ladder now an amputee? Who holds power to account at council level? Who tells us about the bench that cost £20,000 and can’t be sat on, the bank closing after 143 years, or the neighbourhood fury over yet another housing development?
These stories rarely trend nationally. But, says Ben Lynch of MyLondon, part of the BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporting Service, they give people a real sense of place. Good local journalism comes from people who truly understand their patch and by extension, help to define it.
And in an age of both mendacious and misled information, local journalism cuts through the noise, says Simon Murfitt, Senior Editor at Newsquest London.
With this in mind, we doubled down on our local reporting efforts this week. We resisted the easy slide into London stories that quickly become national by proxy, and instead scoured the four corners for our toplines.
This week’s output is coverage, certainly, but it is also a reflection on how to find and frame local stories in a digital age, and what the future of local journalism looks like.
Our verdict?
Local journalism doesn’t need saving but it is changing shape. Economics are tighter, workflows more hybrid, and routes to audience increasingly dependent on platforms and subscriptions rather than print runs.
Make no mistake, the old school skillset is still important. MyLondon’s Ben Lynch still reads council papers. He still works the phones. On the afternoon we spoke, he’d been in Fulham chasing one lead and came back with several more.
But today’s frugal media landscape cannot sustain the army-of-reporters it once did.
In response, Newsquest’s Simon Murfitt is clear: modern local journalists must adapt, embracing multimedia, social engagement and emerging tech like AI, without letting any of it become a crutch.
So what defines a good local journalist today?
Discipline. Both Ben and Simon agree. Stay rooted in your patch, not through lack of ambition, but because you understand your role. Chase national attention and you risk eroding trust and diluting what makes local outlets distinctive.
Then there’s curiosity, judgment and confidence (or at least a convincing version of it). Whether knocking on doors or doing the digital equivalent, nothing replaces the people skills that build trust and allow you to get beneath the surface.
As editor of this week’s digital newsday, I’d add one more to the list: resilience. Local journalism is often a game of closed doors and unanswered calls – the key is to keep knocking.
Tune in to this afternoon’s explainer to hear how our persistence paid off.
For now, happy Thursday, enjoy our local content and go buy your local paper!
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineLocal Journalism Doesn’t Need Saving – Its Simply Changing Shape
Short HeadlineSave Local Journalism? It’s Already Reinventing Itself
StandfirstWith the upheaval of regional newsrooms, Digital Editor Charlotte Wade gives a comment on the current state of local journalism
Does local journalism need saving? We opened this week with this loaded question because, frankly, there is a whiff of despondency in the air, one that is mildly nauseating for a cohort of journalism students.
Local journalism was once the beating heart of the industry. It was where reporters cut their teeth, knocking on doors along the high street, sitting through interminable council meetings, learning which pub landlord knew everything and which councillor knew nothing but would talk anyway.
But looking at the numbers, Press Gazette reports roughly 300 local newspapers have shut down in the past two decades. The UK’s largest local publishers, Newsquest, Reach and National World, employ a fraction of the staff they once did.
It’s tempting to conclude that local journalism is haemorrhaging; that the local reporter belongs alongside the paper boy and milkman in the museum of fondly remembered professions.
But most of our journalistic heroes began there, on patch, before ascending to the national and international stage.
Without local journalism, is the career ladder now an amputee? Who holds power to account at council level? Who tells us about the bench that cost £20,000 and can’t be sat on, the bank closing after 143 years, or the neighbourhood fury over yet another housing development?
These stories rarely trend nationally. But, says Ben Lynch of MyLondon, part of the BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporting Service, they give people a real sense of place. Good local journalism comes from people who truly understand their patch and by extension, help to define it.
And in an age of both mendacious and misled information, local journalism cuts through the noise, says Simon Murfitt, Senior Editor at Newsquest London.
With this in mind, we doubled down on our local reporting efforts this week. We resisted the easy slide into London stories that quickly become national by proxy, and instead scoured the four corners for our toplines.
This week’s output is coverage, certainly, but it is also a reflection on how to find and frame local stories in a digital age, and what the future of local journalism looks like.
Our verdict?
Local journalism doesn’t need saving but it is changing shape. Economics are tighter, workflows more hybrid, and routes to audience increasingly dependent on platforms and subscriptions rather than print runs.
Make no mistake, the old school skillset is still important. MyLondon’s Ben Lynch still reads council papers. He still works the phones. On the afternoon we spoke, he’d been in Fulham chasing one lead and came back with several more.
But today’s frugal media landscape cannot sustain the army-of-reporters it once did.
In response, Newsquest’s Simon Murfitt is clear: modern local journalists must adapt, embracing multimedia, social engagement and emerging tech like AI, without letting any of it become a crutch.
So what defines a good local journalist today?
Discipline. Both Ben and Simon agree. Stay rooted in your patch, not through lack of ambition, but because you understand your role. Chase national attention and you risk eroding trust and diluting what makes local outlets distinctive.
Then there’s curiosity, judgment and confidence (or at least a convincing version of it). Whether knocking on doors or doing the digital equivalent, nothing replaces the people skills that build trust and allow you to get beneath the surface.
As editor of this week’s digital newsday, I’d add one more to the list: resilience. Local journalism is often a game of closed doors and unanswered calls – the key is to keep knocking.
Tune in to this afternoon’s explainer to hear how our persistence paid off.
For now, happy Thursday, enjoy our local content and go buy your local paper!
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