The Routledge Companion to Local Media and Journalism

Cover
Half title
Title page
Copyright page
Dedication
Table of contents
Figures
Tables
Contributors
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Demarcating the field of local media and journalism
	Conceptualising the field
	Defining features of local media
		Geo socio-political context
		Relationship with the community
		Position in macro media ecosystems
	Key themes in contemporary research on local media and journalism
		Sustainability
		Subsidies and state interventions
		Local news deserts
		Professionalism
	Signposts to further research
	Structure of the book
	References
Part I Histories and legacies of local media and journalism
	1 Historicising the afterlife: Local newspapers in the United Kingdom and the ‘art of prognosis’
		Introduction
		The utility of history to understanding the local newspaper
		Provincial newspaper: community servant or shareholder powerhouse?
		‘Potholes’: what trips us up, what changes, what stays the same?
		Conclusion: the ‘art of prognosis’, looking back to look forward
		Notes
		References
	2 A history of the local newspaper in Japan
		Introduction
		The birth of Japanese newspapers (1850–1900)
		The establishment of modern Japanese newspapers (1900–1930)
		Newspaper suppression during the War Years (1930–1945)
		Democratization of society and high economic growth (1945–1980)
		Newspapers in the age of diversified media (1980–2010)
		Contemporary issues and tensions (2010–present)
		Conclusion
		References
	3 Local news deserts in Brazil: Historical and contemporary perspectives
		Introduction
		Historical development of local press in Brazil
		Local press in contemporary Brazil
		The Atlas da Notícia (News Atlas) project
		Conclusion
		References
	4 A history of local media in Norway
		Introduction
		What are local media?
		Voicing political, economic and cultural interests, 1880–1940
		Decentralisation, dealignment and de-monopolisation, 1945–1995
		Digitisation and the contemporary local media structure, 1995–2020
		Conclusion
		References
	5 State of play: Local media, power and society in the Caribbean
		Introduction
		A history of power imbalances: the influence of colonialism
		Historical development of media in the Caribbean
		Journalism and media freedom in the Caribbean
		Local and community media in the Caribbean
		Caribbean media cultures
		Conclusion
		References
	6 ‘Peopleization’ of news: The development of the American local television news format
		Introduction
		History of television news in the United States
		“Peopleization” of news begins with Eyewitness News and Action News
		Vocal critics
		Conclusion
		References
Part II Local media policies
	7 The death of broadcast localism in the United States
		Introduction
		The definition of localism
		The origins of localism
		Localism regulation
			Early attempts
			Ascertainment requirements
			Ownership
			Trump’s FCC and Sinclair
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	8 Developing local media policies in sub-state nations: The case of Catalonia
		Introduction
		A framework to explore local media policies
			Understanding the political system
			Media policy-making
		Local media policies in Catalonia
			Local press
			Local radio
			Local television
			Local media outlets online
		Conclusion
		References
	9 Local journalism in Australia: Policy debates
		Introduction
		Local news context
		A shake-up of media ownership regulation and key policy debates
		The role of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at the local level
		Preserving public interest journalism at the local level
		Competition policy
		A note on subsidies
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	10 The development of community broadcasting legislation in Kenya
		Introduction
		The beginnings: broadcast for modernization
		Rethinking broadcasting and community broadcasting
		New pressures, new players
		Accreditation and community broadcasters
		Analyzing community broadcasting legislation
		Negotiating community media legislation
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	11 Local media policies in Poland: Key issues and debates
		Introduction
		Local government press
		Local media policies
			‘Authorisation’
			Correction notice
			Article 212 of the Polish Criminal Code
		Local relations and ethical journalistic standards
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	12 The impact of communication policies in local television models: The cases of Catalonia and Scotland
		Introduction
		The communicative space of local television
		Local television in Catalonia: a community-created model
		Local television in Scotland: a network and commercial model
		Conclusions
		Notes
		References
Part III Local media, publics and politics
	13 Local journalism in the United States: Its publics, its problems, and its potentials
		Introduction
		Local journalism: what it is and why it matters
		Research on local journalism in the United States
		Populism, politics, and local journalism
		Conclusion: paths forward
		References
	14 Remediating the local through localised news making: India’s booming multilingual press as agent in political and social change
		Introduction
		Mediated grassroots politics and the transformation of India’s party landscape
		The new local of the newspaper supplement
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	15 De-professionalization and fragmentation: Challenges for local journalism in Sweden
		Introduction
		A newspaper country
		Digital transformation and local media landscape
		Local journalism and local politics
		Local audiences and the local network society
		Conclusions
		Note
		References
	16 Central and local media in Russia: Between central control and local initiatives
		Introduction
		Russian regional media: a variety of historic models
		Transforming the state pressure concept in a new regional model after 2000
		Functions of local media and the dynamics of change
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	17 The return of party journalism in China and ‘Janusian’ content: The case of Newspaper X
		Introduction
		Chinese local newspapers and journalism: the 40-year orbit of development
		The case of Newspaper X
			Background
			Brief notes about methods
			The findings of content analysis
			What has happened?
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	18 Strategy over substance and national in focus?: Local television coverage of politics and policy in the United States
		Introduction
		Why local TV is poised to be important
		Why strategic coverage dominates substance in news and why it matters
		The nationalized focus of public affairs on local television coverage
		Conclusion: implications for democracy
		Notes
		References
	19 From journal of record to the 24/7 news cycle: Perspectives on the changing nature of court reporting in Australia
		Introduction
		Interviews and methodology
		Role, importance and impact of court reporting
		Changes to court reporting
			Resources
			Education and experience
			Story selection
			Impact of technology on media environment
		Conclusion
		References
Part IV Ownership and sustainability of local media
	20 Business and ownership of local media: An international perspective
		Introduction: economic considerations of the ‘local news crisis’
		Local news: one size does not fit all
		Legacy media’s retraction from local journalism
		‘Hyperlocal’ media and the digital divide
		Ownership: style over substance?
		‘Community connector’ as a business model, not just a slogan
		References
	21 Local media owners as saviours in the Czech Republic: They save money, not journalism
		Introduction
		Media ownership (change) matters
		Owners as saviours
		Journalists’ perception of media owners
		Czech local media owners
		Methodology
		Results
			RQ1: perception of the previous owner’s role
			RQ2: Impact of the change of ownership on journalists’ understanding of the owner’s role
			RQ3: Impact of the changing ownership on journalistic autonomy
		Conclusions
		References
	22 What can we learn from independent family-owned local media groups?: Case studies from the United Kingdom
		Introduction
		What do we mean by independent family-owned media organisations?
		What were the traditional business models for local media?
		How do we investigate the impact of independent ownership in local media companies?
			Company data
			Observational data
			Interviews
		What impact does independent ownership have on the management of local media?
		Can the independent newspaper group remain sustainable?
		References
	23 Local media in France: Subsidized, heavily regulated and under pressure
		Introduction
		The business model of French regional and local media
			Regional and local press
			Local radio and TV
		Highly regulated and concentrated markets
			Regional and local press
			Local radio and TV
		Troubled business models
		Ownership of French regional and local media
			Print press: regional and local dailies and weeklies
				Local dailies
				Local weeklies
			Local TV markets
			Local radio stations
			Digital local media
		Conclusion
		References
	24 ‘I’ve started a hyperlocal, so now what?’
		Introduction
		Local news
		Hyperlocals
		Business models
		Sustainability
		Conclusion: impact of ownership
		References
	25 The hyperlocal ‘renaissance’ in Australia and New Zealand
		Introduction
		Contextualising hyperlocal journalism in Australia and New Zealand
		Case study 1: Backstory
		Case study 2: Mapping Frictions
		Case study 3: Neighbourly
		Conclusion
		References
Part V Local journalists and journalistic practices
	26 At the crossroads of hobby, community work and media business: Nordic and Russian hyperlocal practitioners
		Introduction
		Three contexts from the global North: Finland, Sweden and Russia
		The data and analysis
		Hyperlocal media in Finland, Sweden and Russia
			Authorship
			Original local content
			Community engagement and political participation
		Conclusion
		References
	27 Not all doom and gloom: The story of American small-market newspapers
		Introduction
		State of the industry
		Literature review
			The value to democracy
			Value to community
			Value to media ecosystems
		Methods
		Theme 1: new revenue models
		Theme 2: digital and revenue experimentation
		Theme 3: the mission of local journalism
		Challenges and conclusion
		References
	28 Local journalism in Bulgaria: Trends from the Worlds of Journalism study
		Introduction
		Journalism in Bulgaria: key developments
		Methodology
		Local journalism in Bulgaria: trends
		Conclusion
		References
	29 Specialised training of local journalists in armed conflict: The Colombian experience
		Introduction
		Colombian training to professionalise local conflict journalists
		Comparing two key training programmes
		Raising awareness about professionalism
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	30 From community to commerce?: Analytics, audience ‘engagement’ and how local newspapers are renegotiating news values ...
		Introduction
		Clicks, pageviews and the rise of analytics in the online press
		Reading the runes and promoting the popular: analytics-driven news lists
			Sub-audience targeting and segmentation
			Follow-ups and added value
			Social media as shop window
		The journalist-adperson hybrid: tagging, video and other monetizing newsroom practices
		Reinforcing the ‘wall’? Resisting role mergers and putting pageviews in their place
		Conclusion
		References
	31 Two-tier tweeting: How promotional and personalised use of twitter is shaping local journalistic practices in the United Kingdom
		Introduction
		Reach replaces circulation and suspicion
		Two-tier practices
		Promotional traditionalists
		Brand, personalisation and the personal
		Conclusion
		References
	32 Centralised and digitally disrupted: An ethnographic view of local journalism in New Zealand
		Introduction
		Local news in New Zealand
		Method
		Case study: the regional desk
			Interaction 1: getting a reporter to the scene
			Interaction 2: the reporter’s notes
			Filing the story
		Summary and conclusion
		Appendix 32.1
		References
	33 Situating journalistic coverage: A practice theory approach to researching local community radio production in the ...
		Introduction
		A practice theory perspective
		Defining journalistic practice in local radio
		Methodological orientation
			Conducting practice as a research method
			Ethnographic fieldwork
		Researching Talk of the Town
			Desk research on local community radio
			The practice-based element: Remarkable Harpenden on Nickey Radio
			Participant observation in Radio Verulam and four snapshot studies
		Findings
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
Part VI Communities and audiences of local news
	34 What does the audience experience as valuable local journalism?: Approaching local news quality from a user’s perspective
		Introduction
		What counts as valuable local journalism from a user perspective?
		Which topics deserve more attention?
		Which values and approaches are appreciated by local news users?
			1. Reciprocity and audience responsivity as core practices
			2. Learning about the area
			3. Stories from within: holding the community together and recognizing difference
			4. Facilitating local orientation: important, findable and connected news
			5. Honouring complexity: providing a layered and ‘realist’ representation of the region
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	35 Local journalism and at-risk communities in the United States
		Introduction
		Method
			Identifying local media outlets
			Content archiving
			Content analysis
			Community characteristic variables
		Results
			Multivariate analyses
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	36 The emerging deficit: Changing local journalism and its impact on communities in Australia
		Introduction: local journalism – a focus of concern
		Our case studies
		Broadmeadows: disadvantaged urban fringe
		Byron Bay: sophisticated and active
		Moree: remote and disparate
		Newcastle: local reporting, national effect
		Conclusion
		Note
		References
	37 Strength in numbers: Building collaborative partnerships for data-driven community news
		Introduction
		Data journalism as collaborative craft
		Community-based data storytelling
		Translating data across the community
		Conclusion: prospects for collaborative data partnerships
		Acknowledgement
		References
	38 Bottom-up hyperlocal media in Belgium: Facebook groups as collaborative neighborhood awareness systems
		Introduction
		Method
		Results
			The local online group as a local social news stream
			Functioning of the local online group in the neighborhood’s communication infrastructure
		Conclusion
		References
	39 Local news repertoires in a transforming swedish media landscape
		Introduction
		Theoretical perspectives on news consumption
		The Swedish context
		Method
		Findings
		Conclusion
		Note
		References
	40 The what, where, and why of local news in the United States
		Introduction
		What is in local news?
		Where is local news consumed?
		Why do people consume local news?
		Conclusion
		References
Part VII Local media and the public good
	41 Local media and disaster reporting in Japan
		Introduction
		Local media in Japan: an overview
		Japanese local media and disaster reporting
		Natural disasters
		Industrial disasters
		The earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster of 2011
		Increasing significance of localized information on social networks during disasters
		Conclusions and outlook
		Note
		References
	42 Public service journalism and engagement in US hyperlocal nonprofits
		Introduction
		Public journalism
		Digitally native news nonprofits
		Method
		Findings
		Engage the community through open dialogue
		Influence over news agendas
		More understandable
		Galvanize the community
		Conclusion
		References
	43 Local public service media in Northern Ireland: The merit goods argument
		Introduction
		Northern Ireland: social, economic and political context
		Local media: PSM, democracy and the public sphere
		Decline of the local press
		Broadcast media in Northern Ireland
		Language policy and public broadcasting, 1998–2018
		Minority-language provision in broadcasting
		PSM provision for local news and minority-language provision: the merit goods argument
		Conclusion
		References
	44 Participation in local radio agricultural broadcasts and message adoption among rural farmers in Northern Ghana
		Introduction
		The objectives of the study
		Local radio and agricultural innovations communication
		Hypotheses
		Methodology
		Findings and discussions
			Respondents’ socio-economic characteristics
			Radio listenership
			Farmers’ participation in radio agricultural programmes
			Farmers’ understanding of agricultural innovations broadcast on radio
			Adoption of agricultural innovations
			Farmers’ suggestions to make agricultural programmes more impactful
		Testing hypotheses
			Hypothesis 1
			Hypothesis 2
		Conclusion and recommendations
		References
	45 Pacific Islanders’ Talanoa values and public support point the way forward
		Introduction
		Diversity and fragmentation
			A region under pressure
		The pacific media landscape and challenges
			Media provision and digital development
		Journalism education
		Media freedom
		News reporting style, standards and focus
		Drawing on local values and cultures
		What is to be done?
		Problems
		Conclusion
		Note
		References
	46 Alternative journalism, alternative ethics?
		Introduction: the relationship between producer and audience
		An alternative approach to ethics
		Ethics and representation in local alternative media
		Alternative journalism as active citizenship
		Conclusion: a vital part of ‘the news ecology’
		References
Index