The director of BBC England paid tribute to the \u201cpower of local reporting\u201d at the inaugural Local Democracy Reporting Service conference and awards. <\/p>\n
In a speech to 180 journalists, she said the scheme was now seen as a success \u201cwithin the BBC, across the media industry and in the corridors of power.”<\/p>\n
In the early stages of the project there were doubts about whether the service would get off the ground, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve come a long way in a short period of time,\u201d she added. \u201cThere’s a new culture of collaboration that has emerged.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs Thomas also confirmed the scheme would be launched in Northern Ireland this summer \u2013 bringing the number of reporter posts to 150 – and that plans for a new Local Democracy Foundation were in progress.<\/p>\n
She went on to thank reporters for their \u201chard work, diligence, persistence and tenacity.<\/p>\n
“I’d also like to say thank you to our partners – nobody could have done this in isolation – the News Media Associaton and all the news providers both large and small who are part of this partnership.<\/p>\n
“We all know the difficulties, the changes in media consumption have had on the news industry as a whole. That’s why what we’re doing with the Local News Partnership is so admired and seen as part of a sustainable model for the future of local journalism. <\/p>\n
“Other countries are beginning to notice too. We’ve had interest from America, from Canada, Italy, and from Scandinavia. In fact, in New Zealand a pilot based on this scheme has now been launched.<\/p>\n
“They see partnerships like this as one of the solutions to the challenges of funding important local journalism.” <\/p>\n
The Local News Partnership was launched in January 2018 by the BBC and the News Media Association. <\/p>\n
Since then, the reporters have filed around 90,000 stories on all kinds of public bodies, including councils, police forces and the NHS.<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s event at MediaCityUK, Salford, was the first time all reporters had been in one room together. They were joined by fellow journalists from regional news outlets and the BBC.<\/p>\n
\nHere’s me talking to @JoeSweeneyLDR<\/a> about life as an #LDReporter<\/a> that we filmed during a session on smartphones at the Local Democracy Reporting Service Conference today. I do my usual waffling but I thought I may as well share it with the world \ud83d\ude1c #LDReporter<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/oowQOXEe5l<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 KennyLomas (@KendrickLomarr) 25 June 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n