Less than half a century ago, newspaper publishers still divided their power base between London and the regions. The provinces were considered just as important as the capital, and the nationals all had fully staffed operations in northern cities, particularly Manchester.
Fast forward a few decades and the regionals have undergone cataclysmic decline. Even the biggest groups are cutting jobs left, right and centre – or at least have plans to. Some might argue that mourning the demise of local journalism is a bit like crying over spilt milk. Speaking from the harsh experience of traipsing round grim town centres scouting for stories (at one point I remember scrawling ‘news’ ideas on the back of a pastie wrapper), I agree to some extent that the information provided to the dwindling local readership can often be paltry fare.
But this is about more than funerals and flower shows. Local papers remain a breeding ground where some of the best budding journalists cut their teeth, and in those pockets of the UK where true communities continue to exist, engagement with local news teams is still important to people.
From a PR point of view, the regional print and online titles remain a vital outlet to ensure London-based clients’ messages extend beyond the M25. So I was outraged to hear from a friend in the North-west that his publisher intends to axe sub-editors in favour of multi-skilling reporters, who will ‘write stories directly onto template pages and create print and online headlines, reducing the need for sub-editors’
This raises the terrifying prospect of PR. If stories being posted are unchecked by green (or simply talentless) reporters – who knows how many client wrangles this potential drop in standards might cause?
Image graciously borrowed from SMLXL’s post on the death of local newspapers
