Coldplay shone a spotlight on local news — and I’m glad they did

Behind Local News
Nov 3 · 4 min read

By Jacqui Merrington, Digital Editor-in-Chief (South), Reach Regionals

Tucked amidst the car boot sales, planning applications and public notices of firing on Dartmoor in last week’s Express and Echo was an unusual advert. Everyday Life by Coldplay was the headline. Sunrise. Sunset. November 22, 2019.

It turned out to be the world exclusive reveal of Coldplay’s much-anticipated latest album, released as an advert in the pages of the Exeter paper — frontman Chris Martin’s home town. The same advert also appeared in the pages of the North Wales Daily Post — home of guitarist Jonny Buckland.

Coldplay’s homage to the regional press came just as I was reflecting on my recent tour of newsrooms across the country. I’ve taken on a new role looking after our digital sites in the south — from Stoke on Trent to Cornwall, Cambridge to Cardiff and I’ve been to 19 newsrooms in the past eight weeks.

I’ve seen first-hand how differently everyone works — from the gruelling daily news conference in Wales to Essex’s creative thinking whiteboards; the meticulous planning of Derbyshire to the fast-paced, high octane newsroom of Devon.

Jacqui Merrington

In every single newsroom, it’s clear not just how many people are reading and engaging with our websites, which makes me happy, but how strongly local news still runs through the heart of them and how much of an impact our stories have on communities, which makes me even happier.

Every one of those newsrooms is in some way campaigning for change.

CornwallLive and WalesOnline are trying to reduce or eliminate single-use plastics and have organised several beach cleans this year to remove the litter from our coastlines, while PlymouthLive launched a year-long #ChangePlymouth campaign this month in a wide-ranging bid to create a better and more sustainable city.

BirminghamLive has teamed up with the Trussell Trust to launch a campaign for local foodbanks and have seen more than 100 tonnes of food donated to feed hungry families since the start of the year.

DevonLive recently focused on the epidemic levels of domestic violence in Torbay in a hard-hitting campaign aimed at raising awareness of a problem so serious in the Bay that the number of crimes is almost double that of the worst London borough.

In Stoke, hundreds of children have been given free swimming lessons following the tragic death of a 13-year-old, thanks to StokeonTrentLive and The Sentinel.

Further afield, the Manchester Evening News has led the way in campaigning for change since the Manchester Arena bombing through its #WeStandTogether campaign for a more peaceful city, and the Hull Daily Mail is among several media organisations who have fought to end the rising tide of knife crime.

And the Western Morning News continues to lead the case for investment in the south west through its Back The South West campaign — recently writing an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for his support to turnaround years of chronic underfunding for our infrastructure.

And it’s not just about long-running campaigns.

Everywhere, the regional media are giving a voice to those who wouldn’t otherwise have a platform to speak up and making a difference.

Last week DevonLive forced an apology from the Department for Work and Pensions to a ‘childlike’ woman with multiple disabilities and learning difficulties whose benefits had been wrongly taken away and who feared she might lose her home.

Several weeks ago the local paper in Harrogate carried an appeal for birthday cards for an elderly woman in a care home. Dorothy Flowers had 654 cards to open on her 108th birthday this week.

And this week NottinghamshireLive ran a series of articles and editorials calling for an investigation into the safety of Smart motorways after a terrifying crash on the M1. Two days later, the Transport Secretary announced a review.

Thank you, Coldplay!

I know I’m biased but I truly believe the regional media is a force for good. We highlight the best and worst in our areas from a position of loving where we live and wanting the best for it. I’ve seen examples of that all over the country.

So that little advert from Coldplay was probably just an unusual little distraction for many people flicking through their paper over coffee yesterday morning. But for me it was a much-needed boost for an often undervalued regional press that is, more often than not, trying to make a positive difference.

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