Feature: Local journalism that contributes to social progress
Local media and community outlets have at the core of their works the social issues they strive to impact. The latest LM4D blog post by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) explores the social integration efforts of local news.
Researchers Urbano Reviglio and Danielle Borges explore social integration techniques by local and community media outlets in the EU. They spotlight specific best practices from “street newspapers”, newspapers or magazines targeted at people in marginalised communities.
Innovative responses offered by local media outlets are essential to survive the harsh competition of the attention economy. While local and community news have a long tradition of reporting on the public interest of the location to which it is most intimate, this traditional public interest role has expanded to also include listening to or empathising with audiences.
The activities employed by local and community news to support marganlised communities include providing jobs, such as hiring writers from such communities to write about their issues; using a whistleblowing platform to investigate contributions from readers; and amplifying local stories in foreign media outlets to increase their impact.
No matter the technique, they all rely on transnational networks to support and spread their public interest mission. These outlets contribute directly to social justice by developing and promoting social inclusion activities.
Read the CMPF blog post: https://cmpf.eui.eu/networking-for-public-interest-unveiling-local-media-strategies-for-social-change/
This blog post is the second of a series of three that will explore best practices in the local and community media sector and offer some examples found across the European Union (EU). These blog posts explore the work of local and community media, beyond those included in the Media Funding Scheme of this project. Check out the results of the latest round of funding here.
It is written as part of the Local Media for Democracy project; an 18-month project co-funded by the European Union and launched by a consortium of partners: the Journalismfund Europe, the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), International Media Support (IMS), and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).
