Got a story to share but don’t know where to start contacting your local news outlets? IMIX Strategic Communications Manager, Julia Rampen, shares some useful insights into two different types of local news journalists and why they might be interested in the stories which you have to share.
Many stories about asylum or immigration touch on traumatic issues, and charities and support workers are understandably nervous about trusting a reporter with something so sensitive. Others may be important but very complex, and require the kind of journalistic digging that many reporters just don’t have the time to put in.
Luckily, there are two types of reporters who can spend the time and effort to get these kinds of stories right – and they may be in a newsroom near you.
If you’re thinking of speaking to a local newspaper, but you don’t know who to contact, these types of reporters may be your best resource.
Facebook Community Reporters
Facebook is funding community reporters across local newsrooms in the UK. These reporters are tasked with reporting on communities underserved by the current media. It’s up to the individual newspapers what this means, but many of these reporters focus on marginalised neighbourhoods, or specific communities, such as BAME or LGBTQ+ populations within a local area.
There isn’t a single directory where you can find them all (a list of some of the newspapers that have taken them on is included at the bottom of the post), but if you check your local newspaper’s Contact page, or look up reporters on Twitter, you can usually find out if there is a Community Reporter.
Because they focus on specific groups, Community Reporters can’t write about everything or anything – but if you do have a story that falls under their remit, then they are more likely to be able to give it the time and attention it deserves. They are also likely to value the contacts they make in a local area as they will need to return to them time and again.
Local Democracy Reporters
Local Democracy Reporters are funded by the BBC but they work in local newsrooms. They report on local authorities and other public services in local areas. As a result, they are experts on council processes and understand how to turn something that sounds dry and technical into a compelling story.
Although Local Democracy Reporters focus on councils, they have also reported on the housing situation of asylum seekers. They are a great resource for an organisation that has identified a problem with the provision of services, as they know how to stand up a news story and they have the time to pursue it.
While your local newspaper may have a political slant, Local Democracy Reporters are expected to follow the same code of neutrality that broadcasters do. So while they are invaluable if you have a story that you can back up with evidence, you can’t expect them to write a story based on political views alone.
Newspapers that have taken on Facebook Community Reporters
Worcester News
The Argus (Brighton)
Western Telegraph
News Shopper
News & Star
Glasgow Evening Times
The Leader
Swindon Advertiser
Oxford Mail
Bournemouth Echo
Telegraph & Argus
Northern Echo
Southern Daily Echo
Lancashire Telegraph
Hereford Times
South Wales Argus
Bucks Free Press
Reading Chronicle
Kent Messenger
Barnsley Chronicle
Maidenhead Advertiser
Newbury News
Eastern Daily Press
East Anglian Daily Times
Hackney Gazette
Shropshire Star
Express and Star
The Star (Sheffield)
Wakefield Express
Scarborough Evening News
The Edinburgh Evening News
The News (Portsmouth)
The Lancashire Post
Doncaster Free press
The Sunderland Echo
The Peterborough Telegraph
The Blackpool Gazette
Mansfield Chad
Telegraph (Kettering)
The Northumberland Gazette
The Fife Free Press
Mid Sussex Times
The MK Citizen
Manchester Evening News
ChronicleLive (Newcastle)
NottinghamshireLive
Liverpool Echo
Wales Online
Leicester Mercury
Bristol Post/Bristol Live
TeessideLive
Media Wales
StokeonTrentLive/The Sentinel
Coventry Live
HullLive
DerbyshireLive
GloucestershireLive
SurreyLive (website)/Surrey Advertiser/Surrey Mirror
PlymouthLive
LincolnshireLive (Lincoln)
Daily Post
SomersetLive
Cornwall Live
Cambridge News
MyLondon (Lower Thames Street)
