Comments on: Letter to Govt. pt2: The opportunities and implications of BBC partnerships with local media http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2009/04/29/letter-to-govt-pt2-the-opportunities-and-implications-of-bbc-partnerships-with-local-media/ This is a conversation. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:23:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: The opportunities and implications of BBC partnerships with local media http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2009/04/29/letter-to-govt-pt2-the-opportunities-and-implications-of-bbc-partnerships-with-local-media/comment-page-1/#comment-83898 The opportunities and implications of BBC partnerships with local media Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:39:12 +0000 http://onlinejournalismblog.com/?p=2615#comment-83898 [...] [Thanks to Paul Bradshaw for kicking me to write something. More at the Online Journalism Blog.] [...] [...] [Thanks to Paul Bradshaw for kicking me to write something. More at the Online Journalism Blog.] [...]

]]> By: paulbradshaw http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2009/04/29/letter-to-govt-pt2-the-opportunities-and-implications-of-bbc-partnerships-with-local-media/comment-page-1/#comment-83871 paulbradshaw Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:49:22 +0000 http://onlinejournalismblog.com/?p=2615#comment-83871 "Allowing the BBC in to hyperlocal would have killed those companies quicker. Partnership will ease their dying." - I love that quote. The question for me is not so much whether the BBC should support local media, but if it's possible to do that in a way that encourages good journalism. All the discussion I've heard focuses on saving 'newspapers' but as you say, they're caught in a downward spiral and simply providing equipment, space or training is not going to stop that. So how can these partnerships be set up in a way that doesn't just help local newspapers churn press releases faster? For a start I'd like to see independent local media including blogs included in any support, and the framework set up in a way that facilitates links between various parts of any local media ecosystem - the BBC with their 'neutral' position and commissioning experience are well placed to help nurture a networked approach that allows local media to 'Do what they do best and link to the rest'. But it needs to be a 2-way process: are the BBC the best to show the local press the way forward? I don't think so. There are social media experts and startups in most areas who could show both the local press and the BBC how a future media landscape might look. In fact, scratch that: a 3-way process is more appropriate: in one corner, the BBC with space, kit and general experience; in another, local newspapers with local knowledge, audience and ad sales; and in a 3rd, the emerging cottage industry of bloggers, social media experts and news startups. They all have something to say, and something to add to what will likely emerge out of all this. “Allowing the BBC in to hyperlocal would have killed those companies quicker. Partnership will ease their dying.” – I love that quote. The question for me is not so much whether the BBC should support local media, but if it’s possible to do that in a way that encourages good journalism. All the discussion I’ve heard focuses on saving ‘newspapers’ but as you say, they’re caught in a downward spiral and simply providing equipment, space or training is not going to stop that.

So how can these partnerships be set up in a way that doesn’t just help local newspapers churn press releases faster? For a start I’d like to see independent local media including blogs included in any support, and the framework set up in a way that facilitates links between various parts of any local media ecosystem – the BBC with their ‘neutral’ position and commissioning experience are well placed to help nurture a networked approach that allows local media to ‘Do what they do best and link to the rest’.

But it needs to be a 2-way process: are the BBC the best to show the local press the way forward? I don’t think so. There are social media experts and startups in most areas who could show both the local press and the BBC how a future media landscape might look.

In fact, scratch that: a 3-way process is more appropriate: in one corner, the BBC with space, kit and general experience; in another, local newspapers with local knowledge, audience and ad sales; and in a 3rd, the emerging cottage industry of bloggers, social media experts and news startups. They all have something to say, and something to add to what will likely emerge out of all this.

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