Reflecting on Community Journalism
Description
During my postgraduate course in journalism, I have had to complete a three months’ placement at the Heywood Advertiser, part of the MEN Media group. My task during this work experience was to produce stories and articles according to the company’s professional standards, so as to be published onto the local paper. Also my academic background did help me to match these standards in terms of writing and managing deadlines, I soon realized that I would be facing a new set of issues which were unknown to me. Those included the ability to integrate a local community with which I had no previous relation. In such a context, the idea of sourcing even the simplest and most basic story proved challenging. I started to generate and create a variety of tables in order to organise potential sources from social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. I also created a list of all institutions, organisations, charities and businesses based in Heywood so as to start monitoring the town.
As I started to gather a number of local press releases and other information from various internet sources, I was asking myself: How am I going to come up with deeper stories? Not just a re-write of press releases but local, social, human and community stories. It soon appeared to me that local journalism is a human experience, and for a journalist to be the eyes and ears of his people, social interaction is paramount. The remaining of this reflective report will therefore largely focus on this effort I have had to do in order to access the Heywood local community, and how it has led me to produce a higher standard of journalism.
Feelings
Also I had already started to produced articles sourced from press releases and internet, I was unhappy with the overall quality of the stories since it lacked that human touch. As it has been pointed, “it is difficult to pinpoint a single factor that attracts media attention” (McLaughlin, 2002, p. 187), the local character of the exercise just made it more difficult. I had a lot of uncertainties as if I would ever be able to produce a story sourced directly from the actors of the Heywood community. However, “the act of according value to matter is not simply a precondition of your art, it is a philosophical attitude or ethos” (Barrett & Bolt, 2010, p. 19), and so I started to think about what kind of problems a person living in Heywood could possibly face.
This logic proved a turning point as I eventually managed to connect with few local residents, via a Facebook group, who were so helpful in sharing with me the ongoing fly-tipping battle they were having with local authorities. Often it is difficult for certain issues to make headlines, but “communities are working to remake media systems that serve local interests, address local concerns, and otherwise shape, reflect and inform local experience” (Howley, 2005, p. 258), and in this particular fly-tipping story, the Facebook group played a crucial role. It is through this group that I was able to become a medium for the residents to push their story to the paper. From there I was able to obtain interviews and photos which, eventually, did make the headlines. But most importantly, I gained an incredible sense of achievement as the story got published and eventually led to solving the fly-tipping issue. I think it is what made me realise, and experience, what journalism is all about, for the people, to the people.
Evaluation
Also the placement has been a long learning curve, with many ups and downs, I cannot think of a single negative outcome. Previous to this, the largest part of my experience in journalism was limited to re-writing press releases, and while “the nature of online communication means different users will have different experiences of a story” (Craig, 2011, p. 79), it is pretty linear, often boring. Local printed news, if well researched and sourced are much more interesting, for the fact that it has an outcome. In the case of the local residents I helped with the fly-tipping issue, journalism meant solving a problem. All of a sudden I could grasp what the role of journalists is in society, we can help solve problems, or at least participate in making things right.
Analysis
As the scholars have long been debating “the journalist’s position as a public watchdog, ensuring a properly informed populace in a democratic society” (Dodd, Hannah, Banks, & Cyril James McNae, 2012, p. 3), it was one of my principal objective to experience it practically. From this perspective, the placement has been a valuable opportunity for me.
Furthermore, I have also come to learn about the important role of social media as “the public sphere is the foundation for civil society, it is a forum for citizenry to reach consensus” (Howley, 2005, p. 19), and in the particular case of the fly-tipping issue, everything happened in the group. From residents posting pictures to users showing support in the comments, I think the social character of these online platforms is not only a great tool for the citizens, but also for any journalist wishing to position himself/herself within the community.
It has been accepted that “research can be defined as original investigation seeking to create new knowledge” (Dean & Smith, 2009, p. 66). When an issue is being raised on any of these social platform, it creates a buzz, encouraging people to participate and contribute. Most importantly, it provides a ground for journalists to lead any type of investigation, acquiring first hand information and accessing prime sources, therefore increasing the level of knowledge.
Conclusion
“As environmental conditions continue to decline globally, and calls for action to address the situation increase” (Maurrasse, 2004, p. 31), these types of issues are obviously of primary importance as it affects people directly. In the case of this fly-tipping problem, the consequences were many, and I have been able to experience first hand how journalism can help and contribute to a better society. Now that this placement has ended, I wish I had more time to spend with the Heywood community since they have been so welcoming. Even if I was a bit scared at first, I realised that when you sincerely offer to help people, they have no problem accepting you. It will be probably the greatest lesson I take from this experience, and in the future, I will focus on approaching journalism from this perspective.
Action Plan
Thinking about my career onward, I will make sure I concentrate on building a network of contacts based upon a social and community-minded foundation. I have entered the field of journalism with the intention to contribute positively to society. The placement has now introduced me to a whole new dimension of social journalism which I could not comprehend before. I have also found social media to be great “networks for sharing ideas, trends and information” (Rettberg, 2008, p. 60) and it is very likely that I will have to make an utmost effort in keeping up to date with its latest developments. While journalism can sometimes be criticized for representing the media’s various agendas, I am now certain that it is us, the journalists, who bear the biggest responsibility in reporting what truly matter to our communities.
Bibliography
Barrett, E., & Bolt, B. (2010). Practice as research : approaches to creative arts enquiry. London: I. B. Tauris.
Craig, D. A. (2011). Excellence in Online Journalism. London: SAGE Publications.
Dean, R., & Smith, H. (2009). Practice-led Research, Research-led Practice in the Creative Arts. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Dodd, M., Hannah, M., Banks, D., & Cyril James McNae, L. (2012). McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Howley, K. (2005). Community media : people, places and communication technologies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Maurrasse, D. J. (2004). A future for everyone : innovative social responsibility and community partnerships. London: Routledge.
McLaughlin, G. (2002). The war Correspondent. London: Pluto Press.
Rettberg, J. W. (2008). Blogging: Digital Media and Society Series. Cambridge: Polity Press.
