Behind Local News Weekly: Why we need to call time on April Fools Jokes in local news
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Welcome to our latest newsletter. Today we’ve got news on the Manchester Evening News, National World’s pioneering health campaign, the Bedford Independent, the Bury Times, local BBC sport, BBC in Northamptonshire, the Daily Echo in Dorset, Bauer local radio news and the Scunthorpe Telegraph.
Do April Fools gags make our trust problem harder? One editor thinks so
We’ve all heard the complaints that local newspapers write about Wetherspoon’s pubs too much.
But when journalists on the Isle of Man reported that the island was about to get its first branch of the famous pub chain, readers were quick to come up with a different complaint — that it was an April Fool.
It wasn’t — and the new pub, long hoped for by many on the Isle of Man, will open later this year, Isle of Man Today reported.
But the reaction has prompted Dion Jones, editor of Media Isle Of Man’s titles, to question whether it is time for newsrooms to ditch April Fool’s Day.
He said: “We were the first brand to share the news that J D Wetherspoon is opening its first pub on the Isle of Man.
“It was confirmed, double-checked, and, frankly, a solid scoop. Yet, almost immediately, many readers assumed it was an early April Fools joke.
“I suspect it also raised a few eyebrows among our media competitors on the island, who ran coverage of the speculation while desperately trying to avoid crediting us as the source.
“We published it on March 31, just a day before April 1. Add to that the fact that ‘Spoons opening on the island has long been the subject of speculation, and you have all the ingredients of a story people were primed to dismiss. But behind the scenes, this was treated like any other piece.”
In a LinkedIn post, Dion explained the process the team went through before publishing the story, including verifying it through Wetherspoon’s long-standing spokesperson, seeking additional confirmation from another well-placed source and even choosing to publish before April 1 to avoid any risk of it being mistaken for a prank.
Dion added: “We also explained our process in a well-timed follow up. This step was not the norm, but the situation called for it.
“Despite that, the disbelief spread faster than the news itself. And I get it — we live in an age of misinformation, spin, and, let’s face it, too many newsroom April Fools’ pranks.
“It’s no wonder audiences are cautious. But for me, this situation reinforced something I strongly believe in: trust in journalism is fragile and it must be improved and protected.
“That’s why, personally, I’m no fan of April Fools’ stunts in news. When even real stories can get labelled as “fake news”, why would we ever risk adding to that problem?
“For those of us working in local journalism, trust is everything. We don’t always get it right, but we approach every story with the same intention — verify it, check it again, and report it as clearly and fairly as possible.
“This story was a reminder of how easily doubt can creep in, but also how important it is to keep doing the basics right: accuracy, transparency, and honesty — even when the story seems too good or too strange to be true.”
Scott Wood, managing director of Tindle Newspapers, said the coverage showed the strength of community-based reporting.
“We have a strong tradition of breaking exclusive news stories because of our close ties to the areas so we serve, so it is great to see the Isle of Man team generate such interest around a UK chain’s arrival,” he said.
“We understand that readers scrutinise the news they read but the quality of the reporting around this story, which overlapped with April 1, demonstrates the thorough approach we take to check our facts and get each story right to maintain the hard earned trust of the local community built up over many generations.”
What we’ve been reading this week:
- The Daily Echo on the coast wiped out its front and back pages to give maximum space for shocking images of wild fires which swept through countryside as the warm weather continued.
- The Scunthorpe Telegraph’s front page provided comprehensive coverage of the battle to save the steelworks in the town this week. Its coverage even helped set the scene for a special edition of the News Agents podcast, which you can hear here.
- A reporter who began his career on the Bury Times 32 years ago is back with the brand. Neil Brandwood returns having left the Times, a weekly in Greater Manchester, in 2005 for teaching.
- Radio Today reports that news coverage on Bauer’s radio stations — such as Hits Radio — might be about to become more local. The stations, which were previously local stations like TFM and Metro in the North East, were allowed to merge and ditch local programming if they did more local news, said. RadioToday. According to the website, local news will air after national bulletins every hour.
Also in local news this week:
Reporter uncovers online counterfeit industry after infiltrating encypted chat group
Police carried out dawn raids after a journalist’s investigation revealed counterfeiters were dodging the law by taking their trade online.
The theme park frenzy which began as a true local newspaper scoop
An editor whose website originally broke the story that Universial Studios wanted to build a theme park in the UK has described covering the long-running story as going from ‘exclusive to extraordinary.’
Podcasts and local journalists make shortlist at Podcast Publisher Awards
Two regional journalists have been shortlisted as podcast publishing heroes at a well known awards ceremony.
400 stories shared as National World takes its Endo the Battle campaign to ministers
A publisher has stepped up its campaign to win better treatment for women suffering with endometriosis, penning an open letter to the Government demanding action.
Every county cricket match will get full commentary treatment on the BBC this year, across local radio and the BBC Sport website.
Local BBC journalists release series exploring Corby’s Toxic Town scandal
BBC journalists in Northamptonshire have produced a new podcast series examining a scandal which ultimately became the subject of a Netflix drama.
