RobertBellResearchSummary,2017

FIGHTINGTHEBEHEMOTHSustainingHyper-LocalPublicInterestJournalismintheDigitalAgeTMcClure

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Contents

Introduction:Wherearewenow?............4

Thestructureofthisreport…………..8

PartOne………..9

SolvingtheProblemofTrust………...9

MembershipModelsandReaderEngagement…………..9

What’scausedourcrisisintrust?.………..10

MembershipModels…………14

CaseStudy:DeCorrespondent..………..15

PossibleApplications:refiningtheoffering..………..17

LocalApplicationCaseStudy:TheSpinoffAuckland..………..17

Possibleapplications:enhancingaudienceengagement..………..19

CaseStudy:TheFarentholdMethod…………..19

PossibleApplications:HyperlocalMembership…………..21

CaseStudy:TheLens.…………..21

PartTwo…………..24

SolvingtheProblemofLocal…………..24

StateModelsandContentAgreements…………..24

CaseStudy:TheLocalDemocracyReporters…………..25

PossibleApplications:LocalReportingasWireService…………..25

PartThree…………..27

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SolvingtheProblemofSurfaceArea…………..27

Databases,ResurfacingandWikiModels…………..27

CaseStudy:TheMessenger…………..29

LocalApplications:DatabasesandResurfacing…………..31

Conclusion………..35

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Introduction:Wherearewenow?Bothgloballyandlocally,thejournalismindustryisexperiencingunprecedentedlevelsof

convergenceandfinancialpressure.Nowhereisitfeltmorethanatalocallevel.

Theglobaltrendsaretowardshrinkinglocalnewsrooms,andare-concentrationofreportersoutof

localpapersandtowardnationalorinternationaldigitalplatforms.Censusdatashowsthatthe

numberofprintjournalists[thecensusdoesnotrecordadigitaljournalistcategory]inNew

Zealanddroppedanenormous61percentbetween2006and2013.

Meanwhile,thoseleftinjournalismfaceanincreasinglydominantPRindustry-closely

correspondingwiththedropinprintjournalistshavebeena56percentincreaseinnumbersofPR

professionals,between2006and2013.AccordingtoStoppressanalysis,thefinalfigureshave

publicrelationsprofessionalsoutnumberingprint,televisionandradiojournaliststhreetoonein

2013.NewZealanddoesnotkeepdetaileddataonnumbersofprintvsdigitaljournalists1.This

makesitdifficulttotrackhowmanyjournalistsmighthavebeenreassignedfrom,say,traditional

communitynewspaperstonational,digitalnewspublisherslikestuff.co.nz;ornewdigital-only

startupslikeTheSpinoff,VICE,andNewsroom.

Tenyearsago,asjoblossesintraditionalnewsoutletsrampedup,thegrowthofdigitalnewsrooms

wasthebrightsparkinadarkeningmedialandscape.“TraditionalJournalismJobCutsCountered

byDigitalAdditions,”MediaShiftwroteoptimisticallyin2007.Whilewedon’thaveclearNZdata

ontheshiftfromprinttodigital,wecanlooktotheglobaltrends:intheUSA,between2005and

2015,thenumberofprintjournalistsdeclinedby25,090journalists,or38percent.Inthesame

timeperiod,thenumberofjournalistsatdigital-onlypublisherstripled,from3,410to10,580.So

whilethenumberofreportersatdigital-onlyoutletswasgrowing,theywerenowherenearkeeping

upwiththedrop-offfromprint:foreverysinglejournalistgainedinthedigitalsphere,aroundthree

werelostfromprint.Additionally,USemploymentdataindicatesthatthegrowthofdigitaloutlets

mayhavealreadypeaked-withdigital-onlyjournalistnumbersplateauingbetween2012and

2015.Globally,thelastyearhasbeenadarkonefordigitaloutlets,withsignificantcutbacksat

1Giventhatcensusdatacategorisesjournalistsbyprint,radioortelevision,it’ssafetoassumethatdigitaljournalistsare

primarilybeingrecordedundertheprintcategory.

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digitalpublishersMic,VICE,MTVNews,AlJazeeraUS,HuffingtonPost,andGuardianUS.Inthelast

yearalone,key,credibleplayersinonlinejournalism-includingthebulkofMTVNews'longform

andreportingcapacity,AlJazeeraUS,Gothamistafteritsstaffattemptedtounionise,andGawkerat

thebehestofavengefulbillionaire-havedisappearedcompletely.Othershavestuckaround,but

takenstepstocuttheirspendingonwrittennews,favouringinsteada“pivottovideo”tochaseone

ofthelastremainingpotsofdigitaladvertisingcashinaswiftlydiminishinglandscape.

Inshort,whilethenumberofjournalistsemployedat‘digitalnative’startupshasincreased,they’re

stillnowherenearkeepingupwiththerateoflossfromtraditionaloutlets.Additionally,they’renot

necessarilyreplicatingthesameservicesasmoretraditionalorlocalmediaoutlets-andeventhe

newdigitaljobsarenotnecessarilysafeorstable.

Globaltrendsdemonstratethatthatlossisparticularlyfeltatthelocallevel.AccordingtothePew

ResearchCenter,between2003and2014thenumberoffull-timenewspaper‘statehouse’reporters

-reportingonlocaldemocracy-declinedby35percent.Thenumberofdedicatedcourtreporters

hadhalved.Again,NewZealanddoesnotkeepspecificdataabouthowmanyjournalistsarebeing

lostandwherefrom,butthecutsarehappening.

In2017,anopenletterfromFairfaxandNZMEeditors-representingthebulkoflocalnewspapers

acrossthecountry-wrotethatwithoutamerger,“manyjobswillinevitablybelost.”

“Webelieve-no,weknow-thattherapiddismantlingoflocalnewsroomsandjournalismatscale

inthiscountryisinevitableifthismergerdoesnotproceed.”

Themergerdidnotproceed,andthoseeditorshavebeentruetotheirword:thepromisedcuts

havebegunarriving.Inrecentweeks,Stuff[previouslyFairfaxNZ]announcedthatitwassellingor

closing28ruralorcommunitynewspapers,makingupmorethanathird-or35percent-ofthe

company’sprinttitles.AweekbeforethecutsatStuff,AustralianAssociatedPressannouncedit

wasshutteringNewZealandNewswireand14journalistjobswithit.

"Wepredictedthisoutcome.Wesaidthatultimatelytherewouldhavetoberationalisation,”Greg

Hywood,chiefexecutiveofAustralianparentcompanyFairfaxMediasaid.

Askedwhethertheremightbemorecuts,Hywoodsaid,"Wewillmakedecisionsonapublicationby

publication-basisaboutwhethertheyareaddingvaluetothebusinessornot."

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Asoverallnumbersdecrease,theindustryhassimultaneouslyseenareconcentrationofjournalist

numbersinthelargercities:mostnoticeablyWellingtonandAuckland.Thebroaderpictureisof

highnumbersofjournalistsleakingoutoftheregionalpapers,andresourcesbeingredeployedin

centralised,nationalnewsrooms.

But,asJackSchaferwroteforPolitico,“Conventionalnewspapers,foralltheirshortcomings,remain

thebestsourceofinformationabouttheworkingsofourgovernment,ofindustry,andofthemajor

institutionsthatdominateourlives.Theystillpublishadisproportionateamountofthe

accountabilityjournalismavailable,afunctionthat’snotbeingfullyreplacedbyonlinenewcomers

orthenonprofitentitiesthathavepoppedup.”

InNewZealandtoo,noneofthenewstartupsandalternativefundingmodels,suchasTheSpinoff,

NewsroomorScoop,arecurrentlycapableof,orfocusedon,thegenreofstrong,constantlocal

reportingthatcommunityoutletshavetraditionallytakenresponsibilityfor.AndwhilenationalNZ

newsrooms-includingprestigeunitslikeStuff’sNationalCorrespondentsandtheHerald’s

Premium,In-DepthandInvestigationsteam-continuetopublishimportantpublicinterestwork,

theydonotreplacehyperlocalreporting.Noraretheyintendedto.Internationalstudiesindicate

thatmetroandnationalnewsroomsdon’tprovidethesamemodeofcoverageaslocalpresses.

Researchershavefoundthatmetrosandnationalstendtofeature“anarrowsetofsources”

comprisingthosewiththeresourcesnecessarytobeinregulartouchwithreporters-withabias

towardofficialsources,andbureaucraticinstitutions.Localorethnicpublishers,bycontrast,

soughtoutahigherproportionof“alternativevoicesintermsofthesourcestheyinterview,asa

mechanismforcreatingastrongerbondwiththeiraudience,”andratherthanreachingoutonlyto

elitesources,tendedto“highlightcitizenswithinthecommunity”.

Ifthispictureisallalittlebleak,it’sstillworthoutlining,ifonlytoknowitpresentsuswithaseries

ofspecificproblems.Journalistsacrosstheboardaredecreasing.Thejournalisticresourceleftin

theindustryisbeingredistributedtolargenationalorurbancentres,andcentraliseddigitaloutlets.

Inthedigitalsphere,hyperlocaljournalismisnotnecessarilyanattractiveofferingfordigital

outletsoraudiences:itisbydefinitionrestrictedinitsaudienceappeal,resource-intensivein

requiringbootsontheground,andislessfrequentlythesourceofviralhitsor‘prestige’-style

reporting.Emergingalternativerevenuestreams,suchasbrand-sponsoredcontent,aren’tanatural

fitfortheday-to-dayofcoveringlocalgovernment,schoolboards,andcommunitygovernance

issues.

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Overallthen?Ifnothingchanges,NewZealandfacesanimpendingapocalypseforlocalpublic

interestjournalism.Withjournalismacrosstheboardunderthreat,it’shardtotreatthelower-

profile,lessglamorousproductsoflocalreportingasapriority.

Butlocalreportingisvital.Localnewsprovidestheground-levelofpublicrecordthat’scrucialto

informedcivicengagementanddecision-making.Itinformscommunitiesabouttheissuesthathave

themostdirectandimmediateeffectontheirlives:fromsportsgameresultstobusinessclosures,

localgovernmentdecisionstoschoolboardvotes.PewResearchCentredataindicatesthatthose

thatregularlyconsumelocalreportingaremorepoliticallyengaged,moreengagedwiththeir

geographiccommunity,andmorelikelytovote.And,asmanyjournalistsknow,bigstoriesarebuilt

onsmallstories:asinvestigativejournalistMattNipperthasputit,“unglamourousrounds-based

news-writing[is]thesuperstructureonwhichlong-formisbuilt”.

Buteveninanuncertainworldforalljournalists,internationalmodelsforfundingthathyperlocal

publicinterestjournalismareemerging.IntheUK,theLocalDemocracyReportersfund150local

governmentjournaliststoprovidecopytoothernewsagencies,includingcommercial.Inthe

Netherlandsand,soon,theUnitedStates,DeCorrespondenthascreatedalarge-scale,sustainable,

member-fundedpublicinterestnewsorganisation,using‘trust’astheprimarymetricfor

measuringtheirsuccess.InNewOrleans,smallhyperlocaloutletsarefosteringmembershipand

advertisingmodels,andcreatingnewdatabasestokeeptheirworkrelevantandcumulative,rather

thanfleetingandtemporary.InNewYorkandWashingtonDC,largeplayersjoinincooperation

withhyperlocaloutletsinmutuallybeneficialrelationships.

TheStructureofthisReport

Theaimofthisreportistoseewhatconcretestrategiesareemergingonthegroundintocounter

thoseproblems,anddevelopcasestudiesforsustainable,appealing,audience-driven,localpublic

servicejournalismthatcouldpotentiallybeappliedtoaNewZealandcontext.Itwillseektoanswer

questionsincluding:

- Howarenewsroomsmakinghyper-localreportingappealingandvisibleacrossnational

digitalplatforms?

- Canlocalnewsoutletscreatesustainablebusinessmodelsondigitalplatforms?

- Howarelocalnewsroomsandreporterscollaboratingwithnationalnewsrooms?

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Thisreportisstructuredtoaddressthethreekeyproblemsidentifiedinthecourseofresearch:

fundinglocalnewsrooms,visibilityoflocalreporting,andtrustinlocalmedia.Theseproblemstend

tobeinterconnectedandcontributetooneanother,butforclarityhavebeendividedalongthese

lines.Eachsectionisthendevotedtospecificsolutions,includingrelevantnewsroomcasestudies

toillustratewhatthemodelsare,andhowtheysolvethestatedproblems.Eachchapterthengoes

ontodiscusspossibilitiesforhowtheprinciplesofthosecasestudiescouldbereplicatedinNew

Zealand,identifyinganyemerginglocalexampleswhichappeartobeapplyingthoseprinciplesin

neworinterestingways.Thosesolutionsandprinciplesincludesiloingofinvestigativejournalism

funding,theinsandoutsofmembershipmodels,howadvertisingcancontinuetoplayarolein

hyperlocalnews,wikianddatabasemodelsforincreasedsurfaceareaofstories,possibilitiesfor

crowdfundingatahyperlocallevel,andhowstateornewswirefundingcanbeappliedtolocal

democracycoverage.

Afinalnote:asbecomesclearinthisreport,thereisnosinglepanacea,orendlesslyreplicableand

scalablemodeltosolvetheproblemsfacinglocalpublicinterestjournalisminNewZealand-or

anywhere.Thefutureoflocalnews,ifitistosurvive,willbeapatchworkofsolutions,funding

streamsandrevenueexperiments.Here,Iseektohighlightwhathasworkedforsomepublishers,

nottosuggestthatasingleplaybookmayworkforall.Ihopethisreportcanaidinintroducing

someofthenewmodelstoNewZealandpublishers,andspurringonlocalconversationsabout

whatcouldbenextforlocalnews.

Acknowledgements

IwanttoparticularlythanktheUniversityofCanterburyjournalismprogrammeforfundingthis

researchandmakingthetravelpossible.ItsRobertBellTravellingScholarshipwasgenerous

enoughformetovisitanddiscusstheseissuesatlengthwithpeopleinnewsroomsacrossthe

UnitedStates,includingTheLens[NewOrleans],DeCorrespondent[NewYork/TheNetherlands],

Propublica[Washington/NewYork],TheNOLAMessenger[NewOrleans].MyspecialthanksgoJay

RosenofDeCorrespondent,SteveBeattyofTheLens,AlShawofPropublica,MichaelStillofSan

FranPublicPressandRobertMorrisofTheMessengerstable,forgivingupsuchsignificantchunks

oftimeforinterviewsanddiscussions,and/orallowingmetospendseveraldaysinyour

newsroomstodevelopcasestudies.Ialsowanttothankthemanynewsrooms,researchersand

funderswhogaveuptimeandconversationsthatinformedmythinkingandthedevelopmentof

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thisreportanditspriorities.IamparticularlygratefultotheInstituteforNonprofitNewsandINN

Days,andtheinsights,introductions,anddepthofinformationandanalysistheyprovided.Thanks

alsototheinsightsofJenniferPrestonofKnightFoundation,JimHeaneyofInvestigativePost,and

MaryWalter-BrownofNewsRevenueHubandDemocracyFund,aswellasmembersofThe

ChicagoReporterandMississippiToday,foryourthoughtsandcontributions.Thoseconversations

andinsightsprovedinvaluableforidentifying,testing,rulingoutandclarifyingarangeofsolutions

tocreatestronglocalnewsnetworks.ThanksalsotoTheMembershipPuzzleProject,whose

country-wideresearchintomembershipmodelswashighlyusefulandisworthreadinginits

entiretyifyou’reanewsroomleaderlookingtodevelopamembershipbase.Thescholarshipalso

coveredattendanceoftheInvestigativeReportersandEditorsConference,whereIwasableto

attendrelevantsessionswhichassistedparticularlywiththecasestudiesonthe‘Farenthold

Method’andLocalDemocracyReporters.

Finally,timeisarareresourceinthisindustryandI’mverygratefulfortheRobertBellTravelling

ScholarshipforprovidingspaceintheUStoread,research,consider,reviseandprocessthereport-

whichprovedalmostashelpfultothewritingastheinterviewsthemselves.I’mendlesslygrateful

fortheopportunity,andhopethisreportprovesusefultoNewZealand’scontinuingjournalism

ecosystem.

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SolvingtheproblemoftrustMembershipModelsandReaderEngagement

“Wemustreconceiveofmediaandjournalismasaservice,notaproduct.”

- JeffJarvis,WhitherNews?

"Onethingoutofthenestof[trust]problemsthatexplodedin2016wasthedeteriorationof

journalismatalocallevel,whichisalong-termproblem.Thereasonthat'ssoimportantisthatthat

relationship-betweenlocalcitizensandtheirlocalsourcesofinformation-istheprovinggroundfor

trust.That'swhereitstarts,that'swherepeople'srelationshiptojournalismbegins.Whetherit'sthe

sportspages,ortheparentswhonowcareaboutschooldistrictbecausetheyhavekidsinit-that's

wheretherelationshipstarts.Sothedeteriorationofqualityandbootsonthegroundatthelocallevel

ispartofhowwegotintothiscrisisoftrust."

- JayRosen,MediaCritic,MembershipPuzzleHead&DeCorrespondentAmbassador

Higherlevelsoftrustthanwecurrentlyholdareessentialtomanyofthealternativesto

advertising-drivenbusinessandrevenuemodels.Trustisessentialtojournalismifwewanttoget

peopletopayforourproduct.Itiscrucialtomember-fundedjournalism;topublic-funded

journalism,tocrowd-fundedjournalism.

InboththeUnitedStatesandtheUK,thequestionoftrustisconsideredoneofthemosturgent

risksfacingjournalism.InNewZealandjournalism,theproblemoftrustisregardedasalesscritical

threatthanthemoreimmediate,tangibledisastersofrevenuelossandacollapsingbusinessmodel.

ButthesituationinNewZealandisnotfundamentallydifferenttotheingredientsthatleadtothe

crisisinAmerica.Accordingtothe2017AcumenEdelmenTrustBarometer,NewZealandhassome

ofthelowestlevelsoftrustinmediaintheworld.Globally,levelsoftrustinmediahavefallen

steadilyoverthepast30years,hittinganall-timelowin2017.HereinNewZealand,ourlevelsof

trustinmediaareevenlowerthantheglobalaverage.Wehavelowerlevelsoftrustinmediathan

theUK,USA,andAustralia.Buckingtheglobaltrend,wetrustourjournalistsevenlessthanour

politicians.AccordingtotheAcumenEdelmanresearch,NewZealandalsohasoneofthelargest

“trustgaps”intheworld.That’sthediscrepancybetweenhowmuchthe“informedpublic”-a

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highlyeducated,media-saturated,high-earningminority-trustsinstitutions,ascomparedtothe

generalpublic.NewZealandhasatrustgapof20points-withratesoftrustamongthe‘informed

public’sittingataround62percent,comparedtothegeneralpublic’strustlevelsataround41.New

ZealandisbeatenonthismeasureonlybytheUSA.

Inthissection,I'lllookatsomeofthekeyreasonsidentifiedformistrustofmediaintheUnited

States-mostofwhicharehighlyapplicabletoourowncontext.Inthenextsection,I'lloutlinethe

casestudyofDeCorrespondent,aDutchstart-upwhichoperateswithtrustasitskeymetric,and

howitusesthathighlevelofreadertrusttocreaterevenue.Inthefollowingsection,I'lloutline

strategiesNewZealandnewsroomscouldconsideradopting.

What’sCausedOurCrisisInTrust?

WhensurveyingNewZealandjournalists,thelackoftrustinmediaissometimesdescribedasan

inevitability;anunfairandunfoundedfailureofpublicperception;andaresultofthepublic’s

fundamentalmisunderstandingand/orignoranceofwhatwedo.Somedegreeofthatisprobably

true.Globally,trustofalllargeinstitutionsisdown;therewillalwaysbepeoplewithatendencyto

mistrustlargeinstitutionslikethemedia,andsomepeoplewillalwaysbedismissiveofreportsthat

conflictwiththeirworldviewordelivernewstheydon’twanttohear-somethingthatgood

reportingiswonttodo.

Butsomeofourmistrustlevelsalsohavetheirrootsinjournalism’spracticesandbusinessmodel-

issuesthatapplyequallyinNewZealandandinternationally.

Toidentifysomeoftheingredientsleadingtotherecord-lowlevelsofmistrustintheUS,I

interviewedtoJayRosen,aprofessoratNYUJournalism,andamediacommentatorandanalyst

whohasbeenwritingaboutissuesoftrustandmediaperceptionsincethenineties.Heoutlineda

numberoffactors,thefollowingofwhichwerealsoarticulatedbyothermediaoutlets,editorsand

journalists.I'veroughlydividedthemintofivecategories.

1.Destructionofprintrevenues:thefailureoftheprintadvertisingmodelhasleadtocost-cutting,

evacuationofnewsrooms,fewerstaff,moreerrorsincopy,fasterdeadlines.IntheUS,cost-cutting

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hashitparticularlyhardatalocallevel,withsmallercommunitypapersshuttingupshopor

reducingstaff.

2.Lossoflocalreporting-connectedtothedestructionoftheprint/advertisingmodels,thecutting

ofnewsroomsandjournalismresourcehasbeenparticularlyfeltatthelocallevel.Rosensays,

"Onethingoutofthenestof[trust]problemsthatexplodedin2016wasthedeteriorationof

journalismatalocallevel,whichisalong-termproblem.Thereasonthat'ssoimportantisthat

thatrelationship-betweenlocalcitizensandtheirlocalsourcesofinformation-istheproving

groundfortrust.That'swhereitstarts,that'swherepeople'srelationshiptojournalismbegins.

Whetherit'sthesportspages,ortheparentswhonowcareaboutschooldistrictbecausethey

havekidsinit-that'swheretherelationshipstarts.Sothedeteriorationofqualityandboots

onthegroundatthelocallevelispartofhowwegotintothiscrisisoftrust."

WhenIinterviewedNewZealandjournalistsabouttheirreflectionsontrustlevelsnationally,

severalmentionedtheerosionofhyper-localreportingasakeyfactor.Onereporterremarked,

“Perhaps[it’s]duetolesscommunitynews(orfeweroutletsingeneral)-peoplefeelthatnews

isnotabout/forthem.”

Anotherjournalistwhoworkedforasmallregionalpaperprovidedmoredetail.NewZealand’s

communitypapers,shesays,

“Usedtoeachhavetheirowneditorandreporters,whobecamewell-knownintheirrespective

communities.Thosestaffwouldbeeasilyaccessible-readerscouldwalkintonewspaperoffices

andtalktothem,includingtotheeditor-andtheywouldattendallmannerofmeetingsand

eventswithinthecommunity.Inotherwords,therewashighvisibilityinthecommunity...and

thereforeacertainsenseoftrust.

Thatmodelhasbeenkilledoffbycuts,layoffsandrestructure.Thelossofcommunityeditorsis

abigthingforcommunities.Thosepeoplewereheldinhighesteem.Also,alackofstaffand

resourcesmeansstoriesjustdon'tgetcoveredorarereprintedfromthedailypaper.So,

communitiesaremissingoutcoverageofeventsandnewstheydeemimportanttothem.

ThosekindsofcutsarereplicatedupanddownNewZealand."

Theerosionoflocaljournalismcanhaveadisproportionateeffectonpeople’sopinionofmedia

institutionsmorebroadly-and,consequently,theirwillingnesstoinvestintheproduct.

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3.Digitaltraffic-drivenbusinessmodel-thedigitalmodelofrevenue,whichdependsonhigh

numbersofpageviewsand/orthesaleofsubscriberinformationtoadvertisers,generates

problemsoftrust.Thedrivetobuildandmonetiseaudiencesresultsinclickbait,syndicated

sensationaliststories,misleadingheadlines,intrusiveads,andtrackingofuserdata.Inthe2018

AcumenEdelmanTrustBarometer,forexample,69percentofNewZealandrespondentsbelieved

mediawere“moreconcernedwithattractingabigaudiencethanreporting”.

4.Majorfailuresofthe“watchdogpress”-RosenarguestheUnitedStatespresshadaseriesof

shockingfailuresthaterodedpublictrustintheinstitution.Heidentifiesthefailuretodetecta

faultycaseforthewarinIraqin2003;thefailuretowarnthepublicaboutendemiccorruptionin

themortgagemarketandthe2008financialcrisis;andthefailuretoappropriatelycoverTrump’s

campaign,culminatinginthenear-universalfailuretoaccuratelypredicttheoutcomeofthe

election.Ineachofthosecases,hesays,

“It'snotjustthattherewasafailure.It'sthattherewasnoseriousself-examinationafterthat

failure-therewasnoindustry-widepost-mortemorinvestigationofhowthathappened,and

noreallesson-learningfromit.”

Thefailingsprovide‘pegs’onwhichtohangapublicnarrativethathasgainedmomentuminrecent

years:thatthemediaisinaccurate,orcorrupt,oroutoftouchwithreality.Elsewhereintheworld,

similarfailureshaveoccurred.IntheUK,wecouldpointtothe2009revelationsofwidespread

phonehackingbythepress;morerecently,thefailuretopredicttheoutcomeofBrexit.Whatmight

NewZealand’sequivalentsbe?Nothingsodramatic,butwecouldconsiderthefalloutfromDirty

Politics,whichrevealedreporters’vulnerabilitytomanipulationbypartisanpoliticalplayers,or

morebroadly,thesyndicationofinaccurateandpoorqualityglobalcontent,ortheuseofOutbrain

haveerodedpublictrustinlocalreportinginstitutions.AcumenEdelmenfound64percentofNew

Zealanderssaidtheycouldnolongerdiscern“goodjournalismfromrumourorfalsehoods,”and62

percentsaidasaresultofthemediafailingtofulfilitsresponsibilities,theynolongerknewwhat

wastrueandwhatwasnot.

5.Professionalmodelofjournalism-adoptinganideologyof‘objectivity'whichbecamecounter-

productivefortrustwhenscrutinised.Rosenarguesthatinitially,themodelofprofessional

detachmentandobjectivityseemedtobethewaytogeneratetrust.Overtime,however,it

backfired:thedistancingbecameareasonthepublicadoptedtodistrustmedia

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"Atacertainpoint,whathappenedwasthatthisclaim,of"wedon'thaveanideology,wedon'thavea

position,wedon'thaveanypolitics,wejusttellyouthewayitis,youshouldbelieveitbecauseit'sjust

thefacts"-thatclaimitselfstartedtogeneratemistrust.Itbecameawayofmobilizingdiscontent

withelites.Generatingreactionandresentmentthatwaybecameaveryeffectivewayofdoing

politics."

In2018,theTrustBarometersurveyfound48percentofNewZealandersbelievethemedia

“supportanideologyratherthaninformingthepublic”-slightlylowerthantheglobalaverage,but

stillincludingalmosthalfofthegeneralpopulation.

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MembershipModelsMembershipmodelsaredesignedtocreateanewsocialcontractbetweenjournalists(ornews

organisations)andtheiraudiences.Membershipmodelsaredistinguishedbytheirdepthof

connectionandlevelofmutualexchangebetweenaudiencemembersandjournalismproviders.

IntheUnitedStates,anin-depthstudybyMembershipPuzzleof22digitally-basedmembership-

modelsfoundthosewithasuccessful,financiallysustainableandthrivingmembershipconsistently

hadthesefeatures:

- Aclearmissionororiginstory

- Focusedonthelimitationsandflawsofwhatwasalreadyavailable

- Modelsofengagementthatwereapproachableasopposedtoinstitutional

- Allowedavarietyofroutesforaudienceparticipation,whichtakesconcreteform

ResearchprojecttheMembershipPuzzlenotesthatit'sextremelyrarefornewsorganisationstobe

100percentfundedbydirectaudiencerevenue.Thiswasthecaseformembershipmodelsacross

theUnitedStates,includingcasestudiesforthisreportTheLens(alsosustainedbylarge-scale

philanthropicbodiesandspeakingfees)andDeCorrespondent(alsosustainedbybookpublishing,

crowd-funding,andspeakers).

CaseStudy:DeCorrespondentWhatwouldhappenifanewsorganisationmaximisedfortrust?Iftrust-asopposedtoaudience,pageviews,orsales-wasthekeymetricforsuccess?DeCorrespondentgoessomewaytoanswerthatquestion.Ataglance:● DeCorrespondentisaNetherlands-basedjournalismstartupthatbeganpublishing

in2013.● Itisfinanciallysustainable,fundedbymorethan52,000payingmembers.Around

78percentofmemberspay€60ayear,theother22percentpay€6amonth.From

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membershipcontributionsalone,thatgivesthemanoperatingbudgetofroughly€3.2million[NZD5.6million]peryear.

● Aswellasmembercontributions,thepublicationrunsitsownbook-publishingarmandspeakersbureau,whichcontributeasmallamounttoitsincome.

● Pre-launch,itbroketheworldrecordforjournalismcrowd-funding,raising1.7millionin30days.

● Itnowemploysmorethan31beatcorrespondents.

● ThecompanyiscurrentlylookingtomakeitsentrytotheUnitedStates.IspoketotheirUS-basedambassadorJayRosenaboutthemodel.

Atmostjournalismoutlets,weconsiderhowourworkmeasuresuptoseveralmetrics.Financialsuccessisakeyone:indigitaljournalism,thisamountstopageviews.Howmanypeoplereadit?Diditgoviral?Butwelookatothermetricstoo.Oneisrecognition-didourpeerslikeit?Didpeoplewriteletterstotheeditor,orcommentindroves?Anotherisimpact:diditchangealaw?Triggeraresignationoraninvestigation?DeCorrespondentisaglimpseofwhatjournalismmightlooklikeifthekeymetricwasreadertrust.Sofar,ithasworkedforthem.Thesite’sclarityofmissionandethoshaswonitastrongholdofsupporters,tothepointwhereitisfinanciallysustainableandthesizeofsomeofNewZealand’slargernewsrooms.Someofitskeyprinciplesinclude:Freeofads,andnotprofit-driven.Fundedalmostentirelybyitsmembershipbase,thesitehasnoadvertising,nosponsors,noshareholders.Itpublishesitsfinancesandspendingeveryyear.Thecompanyislimitedprofit,meaningthevastmajorityofanyprofitsarereinvestedbackintothejournalism.Thefounders’accesstoprofitiscappedat5percent.Anantidotetothedailynewsgrind.

Thecompany’sinformalethosistocover“nottheweather,buttheclimate”

"[Weareveryself-consciousaboutstrikingoutinadifferentdirectionthanjusttheDailyNewsflowthateverybodyelsehas.Whenyougotothesiteinthemorningorifyoureadtheiremail,it'snotthesamestoriesintherestoftheDutchmediabecausetheydon'tcareaboutthedailystories,they'redoinglonger-terminvestigations:nottheweather,whichisadailycyclicalthing,buttheclimate,whichistheunderlyingforcesthatarechangingtheworld."

JournalismasaserviceTheoutletisfocusedonreconceivingmediaandjournalismasaservice,notaproduct-andthatmeansareinventionintheeyesoftheiraudience.SpeakingtoNiemenLab,oneofthefoundersreflectsthatakeytotheirsuccessfulfundraisingwasthefocusontheprovisionofvalueformembers,ratherthansaving

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journalismasapublicgood."Oneimportantthingitisthatwedidn'ttalkaboutjournalismor‘saveourjobs,'"saysWijnberg,the34-year-oldeditor-in-chief.“Wealwaystalkedabouttheservicewewouldprovidetoreaders.”DrivingeditorialsovereigntydownDecision-makingauthorityisdriventothewriterlevel,ratherthanheldhigherupthehierarchyofeditorial.

“Writersgettodecidewhattheirbeatis.thewritersgettopicktheirreportingprojectsandthewritersareencouragedtodefinetheirworkaroundtheirownobsessions-thingsthey'repassionateabout.Thathasaneffectontrustbecauseyou'reyou'rereadingtheworkofpeoplewhocaredeeplyaboutwhatthey'redoing-notbecausesomebodysaid,“gocoverthis”

Activelyinvolvingmembersinthejournalisticprocess

PerhapsauniquefeatureofDeCorrespondent'smodelisitsfocusoninteractingwiththeiraudience.Beatjournalistsattheorganisationhavetospendabout30to40percentoftheirtimeinteractingwithreaders.Eachindividualjournalistsendsoutregularemailnewsletterstotheirsubscriberbase,detailingwhatthey'reworkingon,howit'sgoing,whatknowledgeneedstheyhave,whatthey'remissing,whatkindsofsourcesthey'relookingfor,whatquestionstheyhave.Theorganisationhascultivatedaphilosophyof'everybody'sanexpertinsomething'.

“Andwhenyouareanexpertinwhatwe'rereportingandresearching…weshouldaskyoutocontribute-weshouldgetthatknowledgeflowingin.”

PossibleApplications:refiningtheoffering

ForNewZealand'slargecommercialmediaorganisations,wholesaleadoptionthekindsof

principlesandstructuresofDeCorrespondentwouldrequireatotalrestructureofnewsroom

priorities,hierarchies,andpractices.Butindividually,someoftheorganisation'sprinciplescould

beimplemented.

Firewallingoff“publicservicearms”TheMembershipPuzzle’s2017assessmentofmembershipmodelsdescribesthesuccessfulcandidatesas“manifestlymission-driven”.

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Subscriptionmodels,itconcludes,areonlyfunctionalwhenaudiencesperceivetheoutlet’snews

andanalysisasprovidingenoughuniquevalue-inthesamewaythatspecialistoutletssuchasNew

Zealand’sNationalBusinessReviewappealtoinstitutionalaudiencesinspecificindustries.

It’smoredifficultforlargeinstitutionalplayers,suchasStuff,theNewZealandHerald,orRadioNZ

toaccessthatkindoffunding:theylackthespecificityofmissionstatementorvisionthatsmaller

playerscanarticulate.Onepotentialwayaroundtheproblemistofirewallofffundableprojects.

Whileaudiencesmaybereluctanttobecome‘memberfunders'ofalargemediaentityasawhole,

separatingoutmorespecificcampaignpossibilities,withclearlydefinedgoalsandfunctionscan

proveeffective.Thiscouldincludefundingforlocalreportingprojects,wherethereisahighlevelof

localpublicinterestandclearexamplesofvalueoffering.

LocalApplicationCaseStudy:TheSpinoffAuckland

Inmid-2016,AucklandCityCouncilwasontheeveofvotingonitsunitaryplan,whichwoulddictatethedirectionofthecity'sdevelopmentforyearstocome.DigitaloutletTheSpinofflaunchedacrowd-fundingcampaignforwhatitdubbeda"WarforAuckland"-fundingpoliticalandsocialaffairscoveragedirectlyconnectedtoAucklandlocalgovernmentintheleaduptothevote.Thesitepromisedtoprovidecoveragealignedwithcertainspecificgoals-especiallysolvinghousingaffordability,andmakingthecitymoreaccessibleforyoungadults-thattheyfelthadbeenunderrepresentedinmainstreammediacoverage.Atthelaunchofthesite’scrowdfundingcampaign,editorDuncanGreivewrote:

Ifyoubelievethisisimportanttoo,thenwe’dloveyourhelp.We’vefundedeverypartofourcoverageofthiselectionandthehousingcrisisourselvestothispoint–fromsatiricaltakestodeeplyreportedfeatures.It’spartofhowwegivebacktothecommunitywhichraisedus.Butit’salsoexhausting,andexpensive.…We’reaskingformoneyforthisspecificproject,frombothbusinessesandindividuals,tochipineitherpubliclyoranonymously.Whatwe’resayingis:ifyouthinkit’simportantthatweliveinamoderncitywhichisfitforpurposeintothefuture,thenwewouldloveyourhelptocoverthiselectionwiththatinmind.

Hecommitstodedicatinganymoneyraisedto“payingcontributors,increasingthesocialreachofelection-specificposts,creatingcollateral,developingelection-specificpartsofthe

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site,payingfact-checkers,creatingvideo–basicallyanythingwecanthinkoftomaketheyoungandtheinterestedcaremoreabouttheelection,andgetthemvoting.”Theprojectlaunchedwithamodestfundraisinggoalof$10,000.Itclosedawhiskerawayfrom$25,000.PerhapsmorethananyotherexampleinNewZealand,theWarforAucklanddemonstratedthepossibilitiesformembershipfundingofhyperlocaljournalisminNewZealand.ItholdsthesamekeyattributesoutlinedbyTheMembershipPuzzlefor“thick”membership-fundedmodels:offeringaclearmissionororiginstory;focusingonthelimitationsandflawsofwhat’salreadyavailable;providingclearlinesofconcreteparticipation.Thecampaignerrstowardapproachableoverinstitutional,atleastinthesensethatitemphaticallygroundsTheSpinoffwithintheAucklandenvironmentandasaconcernedpartyintheoutcome:“It’spartofhowwegivebacktothecommunitywhichraisedus,”theysay.Theinitiativealsowentsomewaytoabandoningahardlineobjectivityfocus,callingit“anunashamedlycampaigningnewpartofthesite”-anotherattributethatcanbuildtrustinlocaloutlets.TheWarforAucklandgivessomehopethatthestrategiesofmembershipmodelscanbeappliedtoaNewZealandcontext-and,morepromisinglystill,tothe‘unglamorous'projectsoflocaldemocracyreporting.Itdemonstrates,too,thatthosestrategiescanbeappliedtoaring-fencedproject,aswellasanentirenewsorganisation-TheWarforAucklandwasmember-funded;TheSpinoffisnot.

PossibleApplications:EnhancingAudienceEngagement.

“ItakeitforgrantedthatmyreadersknowmorethanIdo,andthisisaliberatingnotthreateningfactofjournalisticlife.Everyreporteroneverybeatshouldembracethis.Wewillusethetoolsofgrassrootsjournalismorbeconsignedtohistory.”DanGillmor,WeTheMedia,2004

Takingonnewlevelsofaudienceengagement-andtakingthemseriously-canrequireadramatic

shiftinnewsroomcultureandjournalistpriorities.AsMerelBorgerwritesinParticipatory

Journalism:RethinkingJournalismintheDigitalAge:“Journalism’sideologyhaslongprovideda

senseofwhois‘in’andbyconsequencealsoofwhois‘out’:professionaljournalistsarein,while,

amongstothers,sources,theaudience,andthosefromneighbouringoccupations,likepublic

relationsandcommunication,areout.”

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Thismeanscontributionsor‘reporting’sourceddirectfromthepublicareoftenviewedwith

suspicioninjournalism,Buthigh-levelengagementwithaudiencescanbenefitjournalistsand

newsroomsintangibleways.

CaseStudy:TheFahrentholdMethod

By2016,theWashingtonPost'sDavidFahrentholdhadbeencoveringtheUnitedStatespresidentialelectioncampaignfor13months.He'dcoveredcandidateafterfailedcandidateandwasonthelookoutforanewbeat-whenhebecamecuriousaboutwhetherthen-candidateDonaldTrumphadactuallygivenawaythemoneyhe'draised,andpromisedtoveterans.Aswithmanyjournalists,hisfirstsearchwasforpaperwork-buthediscoveredthatIRSpaperswouldn’tbefileduntilatleast2017,andevenifthefilingsweresuspect,the

timeframeforaninvestigationwouldbelengthy.TheTrumpFoundation,inturn,saidthemoneyhadbeenspent,butwouldn’tprovidedetailsonwhereorhow.Stymiedbyofficialsources,Fahrentholdturnedinsteadtoanewknowledgecommunity:hisaudience.FarentholdannouncedhisqueryonTwitter,andbegantalkingtoveteransgroupsaboutwhetherthey'dreceivedfunds.Thenextday,Trumphadcalledapressconference,announcingthathe'dgiventhefullmillionaway.ButFarenholdt’sinterestwaspiqued-andhebroadenedtheinvestigationtolookatallofTrump’spersonalcharitablegiving,whichthecandidatehadsaidamountedtomorethan12million.Again,heturnedtoTwitter,constructingalistofpossiblecharitiesTrumpmayhavegivento,andupdatinghisfollowersontheprogressontheinvestigationinreal

time.

Theprocessappears,inmanyways,tobetheoppositetohowinvestigativejournaliststend

towork:secretly,infearofbeingscooped,releasingtheresultsonlywhentheinvestigation

iscomplete.ButtheresponsetoFarenholdt’sstrategywasenormous.Byliftingthecurtain

onhisreportingprocess,hecreatesanintenselyinvestedknowledgecommunityof

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followers,whonotonlypaidattentiontothefinaljournalisticproduct,butalsoassistedhim

alongtheway:providingtipsforothercharities,confirmingordenyingdonations,and

spreadingthescopeoftheinvestigation.

Hesaysinthisreportonhisownreporting,“Ihadattractedavirtualarmy,readytojointhe

scavengerhunt.Ihadbeguntheyearwith4,700Twitterfollowers.BySeptemberIhad

morethan60,000andclimbingfast.”

Fahrentholdrepeatedtheprocessanumberoftimes-usingtheTwittercommunitytotrack

downpaintingspurchasedwithcharitablefunds,orfakeTIMEmagazinecoversdisplayedin

Trumpresidences.Lessmeasurable,butstillvital,wastheimpactoftheprocessonreader

engagementandtrust.Byallowingreaderstosee,stepbystep,themechanicsoftheproject:

pagesofnotepaper,callsmade,charitiestickedoffonebyone-Farentholddemonstrated

thelegworkandchallengeoftheinvestigation.Readerswhohadbeenprivytoeverystepof

theworkingprocesssawhowarduousitwas,andwere-potentially-lesslikelyto

disbelievethefinalconclusionsoftheinvestigation.Rosennotedinourinterview,and

summedupsuccinctlyhere:“Fahrenthold’smethodssuggestedthatbulletproofingcouldbe

madesocial:whenpeoplefollowalongwithyourinvestigation,they’relikelytocorrectyou

ifyougetsomethingwrong.Thathelpsbuildtrust.”

TheFarentholdMethodoffersadifferent,lessstructuredexampleofimplementingtheprinciplesof

amembershipmodel.

Ratherthanseekingfinancialresource,Farentholdprimarilyworkswithhisreadershiptoaccess

knowledgeresource.Hisapproachdemonstrates,inparticular,twofeaturesofsuccessful

membership:amodelofengagementthatisapproachableasopposedtoinstitutional;allowinga

varietyofroutesforaudienceparticipation,whichtakesconcreteform.

HealsoimplementsanumberofsimilarprinciplestoDeCorrespondent:specificallyhisradical

involvementofhis‘membership'inthejournalisticprocess,andpracticeofinforminghisaudience

ofprogress,knowledgegapsandintentions.Theseprinciplesareapplicableforbothnewsrooms

andindividualjournalistslookingtomoredeeplyengageandaccessresourcewithinthe

communitiestheywriteforandabout.

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MembershipataHyperlocalLevelTheLensNewOrleansAtaglance:

- Anon-profit,publicinterestnewsroom- Sustainssixstaff- Focusoninvestigationsinafewroundsofimmediateandtangibleconcerntothelocal

community:localgovernment,environmentaldegradation,andcharterschools.- Maintainspartnershipsandcollaborationswithhigh-profile,nationalnewsrooms,including

ProPublicaandNPR- Dependsonadiversemixtureofrevenuestreams:membership,TheLensspeaker’sbureau,

donationsfromlargephilanthropicbodies,andsaleofstoriestolargernationalplayers.Ataninner-citycommunitycentreinNewOrleans,asmallgroupofjournalistshasgatheredataninner-citybar.It'sTheLenshappyhour,oneofthebi-monthlyeventswherejournalistsoftheLensmeetwiththeirmembersandcommunity.Therearound30peopleheretonight.SomehavewrittenopinionpiecesforTheLensbefore.Othersareinvolvedwithlocalgovernment.Othersarejustinterestedcommunitymembersorloversofrum-basedpunch.Theeveningismodelledon“NewsandBrews”,astyleofeventthat'sbecomeaninstitutioninsmall,nonprofitandmember-fundednewsroomsacrosstheUnitedStates.Theeventsaredesignedwithadualpurpose:theyliftthecurtainonthenewsroom'spersonnel,allowingmemberstodirectlyinteract,feel‘partoftheproject',discusscoverage,anddemandaccountabilityfromjournalists.Ontheotherside,it'sanopportunityforjournaliststocultivatetheknowledgecommunitywithintheirmembershipbase:togettips,information,clarificationandcontactsfromthelocalcommunity.TheLensisasmall,reader-supported,nonprofitnewsroomthatfocusesexclusivelyonpublic-policyissues.Theyhavearelativelytinyteamofsix,buthaveahighhit-rateforthatnumber,andhavewonmultiplenationalawardsfortheircoverage.Theoutlet’smissionistohoneinonthestoriesothersaren’tcovering,focusingonafewcoreareas:coastalloss,charterschools,governmentaccountability,landuse,andcriminaljustice.“Mostmediaoutletsareamilewideandaninchdeep,”saysSteveBeatty,editoroftheLens.Instead,hisreportersfocusonexclusiveworkthatdeeplyimpactsmembersofthecommunity.“Everythingwewritemustbeoriginal,hesays.“You’llneverfindusinapressconference;wetrytoneverbeinthescrum.”

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PossibleApplications:Partnershipswithbiggerplayers

SomeoftheLens’mostsuccessfulpiecesofworkoccurredincollaborationwithnational,highly

resourcednewsrooms.ParticularlynotableisLosingGround,ajoint-bylinedprojectbetweenthe

LensandProPublica.Theprojectwasthefirstcomprehensivedocumenttrackingofland-lossin

Louisiana.ItwasleadbyBobMarshall-theLens'long-timeenvironmentalreporter-and

ProPublicadatajournalistsAlShawandBrianJacobs,whoanalysedyearsofsatelliteandhistorical

imagerytotracktheamountoflanddisappearingalongthecoastline.InterviewingProPublica'sAl

Shaw,hesaidtheexchangewasofmutualbenefit:"Wehadthetechnicalexpertise,butBob

Marshallhadthatlocalknowledge.Hewasafishermanandknewthewetlandssointimately."The

projectwasabletocombinethestrengthsofbothnewsrooms:thekindofhigh-leveldatascience

expertisethatcanusuallyonlybemaintainedbymajornewsrooms,andthebootsontheground,

long-termlocalfamiliarityandcontactsofsmall,hyperlocalnewsrooms.Theprojectwonmultiple

nationalawards,butitalsodemonstratesapossiblepathwayforwardforNewZealandoutlets:how

largerplayerscancooperatewithhyperlocaloutletsformutuallybeneficialarrangements.

DeepCommunicationwithMembership

TheLensmaintainsadeeprelationshipwithitsmembershipbase,sendingoutregularemail

updates,holdingevents,andensuringstaffmembersremaincontactableandincontactwiththeir

subscribers.Theymakelarge-scaleattemptstoreachmembersoftheirgeographicregionwho

wouldn'totherwisebeawareofthem.Duringone[ongoing]investigationintoillegalsubpoena

formsusedincourthouses,theLensdidaneighbourhood-wideletterboxdropwithexamplesofthe

fraudulentsubpoenas,andwaystocontacttheLensifthey'dbeenaffected.Theresultofthe

initiativewasthreefold:itresultedinanewwaveoftipscominginforjournalists,butalso

communicatedtothecommunitythattheLenswasanactiveplayerontheirbehalf-andallowed

themtoraisetheirprofilewithinlowersocio-economicandmoreethnicallydiverse

neighbourhoodswheretheylackedvisibilityandbrandpenetration.TheSubpoenainvestigation

illustrateshowmutuallybeneficialopenlinesofcommunicationbetweenjournalistsandaudience

are,andhowtheycanassistinbuildingtrustwithcommunities.

Speaker’sBureaus

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TheLenshasalsoimplementedaLensSpeaker’sBureau,wherebytheyrentoutjournalistsor

editorstospeakatpubliceventsabouttheirareasofexpertise.Thismethodofraisingrevenuewas

alsopracticedbyDeCorrespondent,andmultipleothernonprofitnewsroomsacrosstheUSA.

Again,thepurposeofthepracticeistwofold:itbringsinsomeadditionalrevenuefortheoutlet,but

alsogivesjournalistspublicprofileandvisibilitywithinthecommunity.

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Solvingtheproblemoflocal:StateModelsandContentAgreementsMembership-modelnewsroomsleanoneoftwoways:theyaresustainedpartlybylargephilanthropicdonors,suchastheKnightCentreandDemocracyFund,whichrecogniselocaljournalismasapublicgoodandfunditaccordingly.Or,whereprimarilymember-drivenlikeProPublicaandDeCorrespondent,theytendtoprovidea‘prestige'offeringofhigh-profile,nationallysignificantcommentaryandinvestigations.Neitherofthosesolvesalloftheprimaryproblemsthisreportseekstoaddress,ofsustaininglocalpublicinterestjournalisminNewZealand.TheenvironmentinAotearoaislargelybig-donor-free;andprestigejournalismoutletsdon'tcompletethekindofhyperlocal,onthegroundreportingthatisdisappearingfromNewZealand'sjournalismenvironment.

CaseStudy:LocalGovernmentReporterServiceAtaglance:● TheLocalDemocracyReportersschemeemploys150journalistsacrosstheUnited

Kingdom.● Therolesarepubliclyfunded,viatheBBC.● Eachreporterisemployedbyanewsorganisation,inabidtofosterongoingcompetition

betweenexistingnewsoutlets.● Theschemecostsatotalof£8million[NZ$15.2million]peryear.● ReportingproducedbythejournalistsispublishedbytheoutletandsharedwiththeBBC.

Followingpublication,itisalsosharedwitharound700otherpublishersbelongingtothescheme,whocanrepublishitastheyplease.

In2014,theBBCannounceditwouldbecreatingakindofhyperlocal-focusedwireservice.Thepilotproject,whichlaunchedattheendof2017,willemploy150localdemocracyreporters,fundedcentrallybytheBBC,tocoverpublicinterestlocalgovernmentandpublicofficestories.Thereporterswillbehostedby“bidding”newsorganisations,whomustdemonstratethattheyhaveacommittedtrackrecordforstronglocalcoverage.Thereporters’coverage,oncepublished,willbesharedwithhundredsofothermediaorganisationswhoaremembersoftheserviceprogramme.

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Thegoalsoftheschemearetwofold:tosustainlocalreporting,followingresearchintheUKwhichdemonstratedthemajorityoflocaltitlesrecordedfallingyear-on-yearsalesin2016;andtoincreasethereachandlocalpresenceoftheBBC,whichotherwisetendedtobecentralised."WebelievetheLDRswillhelpdriveupboththequalityandquantityoflocaldemocraticreportingandwillhelpsupportlocalnewsorganisations.Butweareclearthattheyarenotasolutiontothefinancialchallengesfacedbysomepartsofthesector.TheintentionistoenrichlocaljournalismforBBCaudiences,butinawaywhichtapsintothesector'sexpertiseandsharesthefruitsofthatpartnershipaswidelyaspossible,"saysMatthewBarraclough,editoroftheBBCJournalismWorkingGroup.Partnershipfocused:theserviceisapartnershipbetweentheBBC(publiclyfunded)andlocalnewsbodies(primarilyprivate).Theserviceaimstoseebothpartiescontributing:theBBCprovidesfinancialsupportforthereporters'salaries,aswellasasystemforcentraliseddistributionandasinglesetofeditorialstandards.They'realsoestablishing"NewsBank,"whichsharesBBCaudioandvideowithlocalnewsproviderstohelpillustratetheironlinejournalism.Thepartnernewsroomsareexpectedtocontributelocalknowledge,expertise,andcontexttotheinitiative,byhostingthereportersasmembersoftheirnewsroomteams.WhilethelocaldemocracyreportersarefundedbytheBBC,they'renotBBCemployees-rather,they'retheemployeesoftheirhostnewsorganisations.ItisworthnotingthattheLDRschemehasnotbeenwithoutheftycriticismandcontroversyintheUK.Concernsabouttheschemeincludethatitmayallownewsroomstocutexisting,experiencedlocalgovernmentreporterjobsandrelyonthefundedreporters-notincreasingreporternumbersoverall-andthatthebureaucracyassociatedwiththebiddingprocessexcludessmallernewsrooms,meaningthatalargenumberofcontractshavebeenawardedtolarge,for-profitmediacompaniesratherthansmall,hyperlocalplayers.

LocalApplications

PossibilitiesforaLocalDemocracyWireService

“RNZiscommittedtomakingitscontentavailabletoasmanyaudiencesaspossiblethroughawiderangeofplatforms.Wewilldelivercontentwherever,howeverandwheneveraudienceschoosetoreceiveit.”

- GlenScanlon,RadioNewZealand

TheLocalDemocracyReportersServiceisonemodelwithstrongpotentialfordirectapplicationin

NewZealand.

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Inrecentyears,followingthedigitalexpansionofRNZundercurrentchiefexecutivePaulThomson,

RNZhasbeddedinastrategythat,whilenotovert,hasoverlappingfeatureswiththeLDR.RNZhas

establishedcontentsharingrelationshipsnowwith14mediaorganisations,includingStuff.co.nz,

IndianNewslink,Noted,Scoop,andTeWhakaruruhauONgāReoIrirangiMāori.

HeadofDigitalGlenScanlonsaidwhentheScooppartnershipwasannouncedin2018thatRNZ,

"wanttobeahelpfulpartnerbycollaboratingwitharangeofmediapartners".Hegoeson:

"Content-sharingagreementsbroadenthereachforindependentjournalisminahighlycompetitive

mediaenvironmentandwebelievethesekindsofdealsenhanceourpublicmediaroleandhelp

meetourchartercommitmentsbygettingqualitycontentinfrontofnewaudiences."

Scanlonhassaidthecompanywould“expecttoannouncemorepartnershipsinfuture”.

In2016,anewmemorandumofunderstandingestablishedarelationshipwherethe21Māoriradio

stationswhichmakeupTeWhakaruruhaugotaccesstoRNZ'sprogrammingandjournalism,as

wellasworkingwiththeRNZnewsteamtocoverMāoristoriesinamorecollaborativeway.Asof

yet,RNZ’scontentsharingagreementshaven’thadanexplicitfocusonprovidinglocal-democracy,

hyperlocalorcommunityreporters.Butwithfurthercutsoccurringatsmall-scalemediaoutlets,

plusthepromiseof$38millionnextyearforRNZandNewZealandonAirfromLabour’s

broadcastingbudget,it’sastrongpossibility.

Labour’sBroadcastingandMediaManifestofrom2017makeslittlementionofhyperlocalor

regionalmodelsspecificallyandseemsmorefocusedonbuildingRNZupasamultimediaplatform

inandofitself,ratherthandevelopingthekindsof‘wireservice'models.OnNewZealandonAir,it

notesthatthefindershouldaimtocreate"sustainablemodelsforregionalandcommunityaccess

mediainrespecttosupportingtheircontent,distributionanddiscovery".

ItwouldnotbeanygreatstretchforRNZorNZOAtoimplementalocaldemocracyreporters

schemeiftheallocatedfundingwasavailable.Bothentitieshavetrackrecordsofsharingtheirown

fundedpublic-interestreportingwithmultiplecommercialoutlets.

Commercialmediahas,untilnow,providedthemajorityofhyperlocalreportingbywayoflocaland

communityoutlets.Therecentcuts,atStuffinparticular,indicatethatthatmaysoonceasetobethe

case.

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SolvingtheProblemofSurfaceArea:Databases,ResurfacingandWikiModels

Theinternetisaplaygrounddominatedbymonoliths.Sohow,inanagewhereinformation

exchangehasshiftedonline,canthesmallplayersmaintainvisibility?

Thelargestdigital“frontpages”oftheinternet,FacebookandGoogle,arealgorithm-drivenrather

thaneditoriallyselected.Newsreportssurfacedbytheinternetgiantsareselectedfortheir

potentialreach-andasaresult,oftentheirshockvalueandclickability.Aswellasstoriesof

nationalsignificance,theybynaturerewardoddity,extremes,andtheunusual.Inthisenvironment,

it’sincreasinglydifficultforday-to-daylocalreportingtoriseoutoftheseaofaccumulatedcontent

onlineandmaterialiseinfrontofviewers.

Intermsofthebiggerplayers,thatmaychangeslightly:MarkZuckerbergsaidina2018statement

thatFacebook,evenasitbegandecreasingtheamountofnewsoverallappearinginnewsfeeds,

wouldbeincreasingthepresenceoflocalpublishers.“Peopleconsistentlytellustheywanttosee

morelocalnewsonFacebook,”hesays.“Localnewshelpsusunderstandtheissuesthatmatterin

ourcommunitiesandaffectourlives.Researchsuggeststhatreadinglocalnewsisdirectly

correlatedwithcivicengagement.Peoplewhoknowwhat'shappeningaroundthemaremorelikely

togetinvolvedandhelpmakeadifference.”

Facebook’sstatementdefineslocalpublishersas“thosewhoselinksareclickedonbyreadersina

tightgeographicarea,”andnotesthattheyarealsotestingadedicatedsection,ortab,onFacebook

thatconnectspeopletonewsandinformationintheirlocalcommunity:TodayIn.Thecompanyis

currentlytesting‘TodayIn’insixcitiesacrosstheUnitedStates,withplanstoexpand.Whilethe

changesatFacebookarehopefulforlocalreporting,publishersknowit’sriskytorelyonthewhims

ofMarkZuckerbergtosustaintheirpresenceinfrontofreaders.

Thatsameproblemofsurfacinglocalcontentalsoappliestonationaldigitalmediaandjournalism

outlets.ComparethestructureofcentralisednewswebsitesStuff.co.nzorTheNewZealandHerald

totheirpreceding,newspaper-basedmodels.Thenetworkofnewspaperoutlets,manyofwhichare

geographically-focused,providesmultiplepointsofaccessfordifferentcommunitiestobeexposed

toandaccesslocalreporting.Bycontrast,nationalwebsites’keypointsofentryareasinglefront

page,wherelocalstoriesmustcompetewithnationalandinternationalreports.

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AninternalmemofromStuffin2016,publishedbytheSpinoffhighlightedsomeoftheproblems

thatapproachpresentsforhyperlocalreporting.Thememo,outliningprioritiesforthemorning

newsmeetings,says:

“We’refocusingthemeetingonourtwobiggestpromotionalchannels:thehomepageand

Facebook.Soinsteadofusasking‘what’sgoingontoday?’We’dlikeyoutotelluswhatare

yourcontendersforFacebookandtheHomepage.”

Itgoesontooutlinesomestoriesthenationalhomepageeditorsarenotinterestedin,including

"Courtstories,particularlyproceduralappearances.Ongoingcasereviewsetccan'tgoon

socialbecauseofprejudicialriskandthey'realmostalwaysofnointeresttotheHP

[homepage].Follow-upsthatassumeknowledge.Veryfewpeoplefollowstoriesfromstartto

finish.Forstoriestobeshareabletheyneedtoassumepeoplearereadingthem/orwatching

videofortheveryfirsttime."

TheissuesofwhichstoriesdowellonFacebookandhomepageareobviouslynotuniquetoStuff,

andtheydonotmeanthatlocalreportingcan’torwon’tbedone-thememonotesthat“Localgovt

orcourtstories,forexample,ofcoursearen’tgoingtobeentirelyscrapped.It’sjustwemightneed

tobeabitmorecreativeinhowwetellthem.”-butitdoesmakethingsdifficult.

Thegreatstrengthoflocalreportingisincumulativeknowledge-asinglestoryonacouncil’svote

onwateruseisnotofgreatinterest,but10years’worthofcoverageisanintenselyvaluable

archive;forthepublic,forreporters;forofficials;forlawenforcementorlawyers;foranyonewith

aninterestindemocraticaccountabilityorpublicrecords.Inisolation,it’sinconsequential.

Cumulatively,it’shardtooverstateitsimportance.Sohowdooutletsmaketherelativetrivialities

oflocalreportingvaluableandlasting?

CaseStudy:TheNOLAMessenger

“Weneedtofindmorepermanentwaystoshareaccumulatedknowledgewiththe

community.”

- RobertMorris,Editor,MessengerAtaglance:

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● UptownMessengerwaslaunchedin2010bynewspaperreporter,editorandjournalismlecturerRobertMorris

● Hisportfolionowconsistsoffourtitles:theNOLAMessenger,UptownMessenger,GentillyMessengerandMid-CityMessenger.

● The‘newspapers’existentirelyonline.

● Thefinancialmodelissustainedbyamixtureofadvertisingandcontributionsfromreaders.ITsprimaryrevenuesourceisonlineadvertising.

● Lowinfrastructurecostsmakethispossible-theMessengerstabledoesnotmaintainacentralisednewsroom.Reportersworkremotely,fromcafes,librariesorhome.Thesitesdonotproduceanyprintproducts,keepingset-upcostslow.

● Focusisonneighborhood-levelcrime,landuseissues,andthelocalschools–thingsthathaveadirectimpactonthelivesofresidentsoftheirareas.

● Atlastcount,theyemployed3full-timereportereditors,withonepart-timerandanumberoffreelancecontributors.

● TheMessengeroutletshaverepublishingpartnershipswithother,largermediaentities,toincreasetheirreporting’sreachandgrowtheiraudiences,aswellasbringinginasmallamountofrevenuesellingstories.

● Aswellasmoretraditional,outlet-basedwebsites,theMessengerisdevelopinganonlineWiki,asameansofincreasingthesurfaceareaofitsday-to-dayreporting.

“Iwasconvincedthatitwaspossibletodoit[localreporting]well,andtosustainit,”saysRobertMorrisoveranicedcoffeeinthebackroomofaNewOrleanscafe.

TheUptownMessengerwasestablishedin2010,makingitalong-gamerinthehyperlocalstartup

space.TheMessengerwasestablishedbyMorris,ajournalistandeditorwhobegantheoutlet

partlyoutoffrustrationseeinglegacynewspapershe’dworkedforstrippingtheresourcefrom

theirlocaloperations.

Workingatalarge,well-respectedcitypaperinSouthCarolina,hesawroundafterroundoflayoffs,

where“decisions[aboutrevenue]werebeingmadeontheoppositesideofthecontinent”.Morris

pitchedthenewspapertheideaoflaunchingaseriesofhyper-localdigitalbureaus,sothe

newspapercould“reclaim”someofthecommunitiesithadlargelyceasedtocoverasalargeoutlet

withshrinkingresources.Hiseditorrespondedthattheideawasagoodone,andshe’dactually

pitcheditseveralyearsearlier-buttheprospectiverevenuestreamsweretoosmallforcorporate

togreen-lightit.AndsoMorrisdecidedtodoithimself:hemovedtoNewOrleans,andthe

Messengerwasborn.

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Thesite’smissionistoprovide“neighbourhood-levelcoverageofgovernmentandpolitics,crime,

businessandcommunityevents.WewilltellthestoriesofUptownNewOrleansanditspeople

throughtraditionalarticlesandphotos,aswellasextensiveuseofthevideoandlive-bloggingmade

possiblebytheInternet.”

Theoutletsfocusonnewsthatisofimmediate,quality-of-lifeconcerntoresidentsofits

neighbourhoods,butwhichcouldbeconsideredtoosmallfryforcity-widepaperstocover.In

particular,hecitestheexamplesofcharterschoolgoverningbodies,andarmedrobberies-neither

ofwhichareconsideredworthyoftheresourcebylargeroutlets,butwhichhaveasignificant

ongoingimpactonthelivesofthecommunities.

TheMessengerhasbeenboostedaslargerNewOrleansnewspapers-suchastheTimes-Picayune-

shrunktheirprinteditionsandcutcirculationdays.Asonereaderwritesontheirwebsite:

“WiththerecentchangeintheTimes'circulationschedule,andtherisingcrimeinouruptown

neighbourhoods,thiswebsiteisbecomingincreasinglyimportant.Thankssomuchforallthe

hardworky'alldo,andmakingthisinfoavailable!”

TheMessengertitlesareunusualamongtheemergingmodelsinthatthey'resustainedbyonline

advertising-arevenuestreamdeemedunsustainablebymostnewmediastartups.Morrissaysthe

modelworksbecauseofitslow-startup-coststructure,andtheclose-knitrelationshipwiththelocal

community-andthus,localadvertisers.Headmitswagesaren'thigh,butsaysthemodelis

currentlycoveringitsowncostsandisdebtfree.

Asecond,andparticularlyunusualfeatureoftheNOLAMessengerisitsdevelopmentofa

neighbourhoodWikiasanewwayofpresentingreporting-asopposedtothetraditionalnews

storymodel.Justasnewspapersintheageofdigitalareconsideredanoutdatedmodeofdelivering

news,Morrissays,“Ifeelstronglythatournotionofarticlesasourprimaryworkproductis

outdatedaswell-Ithinkthenewsarticleisasmucharelicofapriortimeasaprintingpressis.”

Hegoeson:“Weneedtofindmorepermanentwaystoshareaccumulatedknowledgewiththe

community.”

ThesolutionMorrisisexperimentingwithisusingWikisoftware-thesamethatpowersWikipedia,

tocreateaconstantlygrowing,expansivearchiveoftheMessenger’scoverage,that’saccessibleina

moreimmediatewaytothecommunity,anddoesn’trequirethekindofpriorknowledgenecessary

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forsearchinganarchive.Atpresent,they’vefocusedonWiki-ingtwomajorprojects:local

governmentbodyelections,andhomicidesinthearea.LikeaWikipediapage,thesystemcreates

pagesforindividualpeople,andevents,builtupoutofout-linkedMessengerarticles.

“Theconceptistoupdateitonesentenceatatime-thatcouldbeoverasinglecouncilcampaign,or

overareporter’s40-yearcareer.Thatreportingaccumulatesintoavastbankofinformation,”

Morrissays.

"Thesystemcanalsodrivecoverage,"hesays,"becausethefirstthingsthattendtojumpoutarethe

holesinit."Italsoconstructsyearsonsmall-scalelocalreportingintoalarger,farmoresignificant

bodyofaccumulatedtrendsandbigger-pictureoverviews.InthecaseoftheMessenger'sdatabase

oftheelections,forexample:"Thatwilloutliveanyindividualarticlethatwedo."

LocalApplicationsDatabase-FocusedReporting,andResurfacingArchives

NoteverylocalNewZealandoutletwouldbewilling-orable-toreconstructitsarchiveoflocal

reportingintoawiki.Buttheprincipleofsurfacingarchivescanbeappliedtoamultitudeof

projects.IntheUnitedStates,anumberofnewsroomsareturningtheirattentionfromindividual

newsstoriestodatabasesofreporting:asinglenetworkofinformationthatcanbeconstantly

updated,asopposedtoaseriesofindividualpiecesofcoveragethatdisappearoneaftertheother.

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OneexampleisFatalForce,TheWashingtonPost'sdatabaseofpoliceshootingswhichwas

launchedin2015.Forthreeyears,theWashingtonPosthascontinuedtobuildyear-on-year

databasescountingeverynationwidedeathbypoliceshooting.Theprojectaccomplishesanumber

ofthings:itcreatesadatasetthatisnotrecordedbyanysinglegovernmentbody.Bybringing

fragmentsoflocalcrimereportstogetheritisabletodriveitsowntrend-basedandbiggerpicture

reporting.Andittakeshundredsofsmall-scale,individuallyinsignificantreports(thestuffof

hyperlocalreporting)whichcumulativelycreateastoryofnationalimportance.Thereportson

individualdeathsfindsurfaceareawithinthecontextofthewholeproject-whereindividuallythey

mightbenewsoneday,gonethenext,whenpresentedincombinationtheyremainatthefront

pageoftheprojectindefinitely.Onalocallevel,Stuff'sFacesofInnocentsdatabaseworksalong

similarlinesandachievessimilargoals.

AdvertisingforHyperlocal

TheotherlessonfromtheNOLAMessengerisnottodismissadvertisingasapossibilityfor

sustainingthehyperlocalreportingprojects.Whilethetraditionaladvertisingmodelclearlyisn't

workingtosustainlargemediaentities,theMessengerdemonstratesthatitcanstillbeeffectivefor

small,nimble,andlocally-groundedoutlets.Hyperlocaloutletswhicharetrulygroundedintheir

communityhaveadistinctvalueofferingforlocaladvertisers,Morrissays-theyconnecttospecific

localaudiences,andalsoprovidereportingwhichisofinterestandvaluetothoselocalbusinesses.

Additionally,becauseofthereporters'closelinkstothecommunity,Morrissaysmanyadvertisers

alsofeelasenseofcivicdutyandconnectionwiththemissionofthejournalism-inawaythatthey

don'twithlarger,lessdirectly-engagedpapers.

PartneringwithLargerOutlets

AnotherkeyelementoftheMessenger’smodelispartnershipswithlarger,city-widebroadcasters,

toincreasedistributionandreaderawarenessoftheoutlet.Theycurrentlyhaveongoing

relationshipswithlocaltelevisionnetworkWWL-TV;aswellaslocalAfrican-AmericanRadio

networks,andprintoutletsTheAdvocateandGambit.Inthecaseofweborprint-based

publications,outletsrepublishingMessengerreportingpayforthearticles,providinganother

revenuestreamfortheorganisation,aswellasdeepeningthelocalisedreportingavailabletothose

larger,city-widepublishers.

Repackagingexistingreportingintohigh-valueproducts

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Theprinciplesofdatabasesandwikiscanalsobeappliedmorebroadly:viaprojectsthat

reconstituteaccumulatedday-to-dayreportingintosingle,highervalueproducts.Onerecentlocal

exampleofthisisStuffreporterMartinVanBeynen’sBlackHandspodcast.Thepodcastdidnot

requireadditionalreportingworkfromVanBeynen.Rather,itrepackagesseveralyearsofcrime

reportingintoasingle,re-accessibleproduct,muchasadatabaseorWikidoes.Asecondexample,

alsobyStuff,isHeartland,aninteractivedatabasethatcollatesadecadeofSouthIslandregional

reportingbyMikeCrean.

Perhapsmorebroadlystill,localoutletscanconsiderthequestionbehindMorris’thinking:“Ifeel

stronglythatournotionofarticlesasourprimaryworkproductisoutdatedaswell-Ithinkthe

newsarticleisasmucharelicofapriortimeasaprintingpressis.”Arethereothermodesof

communicatingjournalismtolocalaudiences,beyondthearticleformat?DatabasesandWikisare

onemethodfordoingso,buttheywillnotbetheonlyone.

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ConclusionTheoptionspresentedbytheUnitedStatesaremany.Butdowehaveahopeofimplementingthem

here?

NewZealandhasitsownsetofclearchallenges.Inmanyways,thepathforusisharderthanthe

UnitedStates.Wedonothaveanyofthelarge-scalephilanthropicbodieswhichsupport,orprovide

seedfunding,toahugenumberofthelocalpublicinterestnewsroomsacrossthecountry.We

suffer,too,fromeconomiesofscale:eveniftheyhavehighlyengagedmembersorsubscribers,it's

verydifficultforsmallcommunitiesinNewZealandtosustainanoutlet.Andjournalistshere,for

whateverreason,arenothighlythoughtof:ourlevelsoftrustintheprofessionaresomearesome

ofthelowestintheworld.Engagingthepublicenoughtobuildsustainablemembershipmodels,or

crowdfundingcampaigns,orevenpoliticaldrivestoincreasestatefunding,willrequireaswift

turnaroundofthoseperceptions.

Thiscomestotheheartoftheproblem:perhapsmorethananythingelse,NewZealandstillfacesa

reckoningaroundwhetheritwishestopreservelocalpublicinterestreportingatall.Thecutsto

localpapers,outlinedintheintroductiontothisreport,havesofarbeenmetwithasenseof

inevitabilityandaslightcollectiveshrug,ratherthananyhugepublicoutcry.Thebenefitsoflocal

reportingmayseemmanifestlyobvioustojournalistsandothermembersofthemediaindustry,

butitseemswehavesomewaytogoincommunicatingthistothebroaderpopulation.

Untiljournalistscanclearlyandconvincinglyarticulatetheirpurpose,andpreciselywhythey’re

necessarytothecommunitiestheyserve,buildinganyofthealternativemodelsstudiedinthis

reportwillbedifficult.Creatinganewpatchworkoffunctioning,sustainablelocalnewsprovidersis

possible:thecasestudiesoutlinedinthisreportshowitcanbedoneand,andthosemodelscanbe

sustained.Butdoingsorequireswill,andanappetitefromthepublic.

Manyofthesecasestudiesdealwiththatquestionasmuchastheydowiththemoreimmediate

questionofrevenuestreams:andtheyofferpathwaysforward.JournalistDavidFahrenthold

providesonemodelforbuildingdeepreadertrust,communicationandinvolvementonasmall

scale:throughasinglejournalist'smodeofinteractingwithhisfollowerbase.Others,likeDe

Correspondent,demonstratethatethoswritlarge:theycreateanentiremodelfocusedontrustand

membershipbuy-in.Intheopeningcasestudyofthisreport,theireditorisquoted:"Wedidn'ttalk

aboutjournalismor‘saveourjobs.Wealwaystalkedabouttheservicewewouldprovideto

readers."InaNewZealandcontext,itseemsvitalthatlocaloutletsbecomebetteratidentifying

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preciselywhatthatserviceis,andcommunicatingthattotheirreaders.Asdiscussedinthecase

studies,theprinciplesofmembershipcanbeappliednotonlytoentireoutlets,buttoindividual

publicinterestprojectsbylargercommercialoradvertising-fundedoutlets.

Whilemembershipmodelscouldbeimplementedbylargermediacompaniesandstartupstofund

localgovernmentcoverageorlocality-specificinvestigativeprojects-andtohelpsolvebroader

problemsoftrustinNewZealandjournalism-ourrelativelysmallpopulationmeansthosemodels

areunlikelytobeacatch-allsolution,especiallyforsmall,rural,andcurrentlyunderserved-by-

mediacommunities.Insomeofthosecommunities,advertisingmaystillprovethemostsustainable

model.TheMessengerinNewOrleansillustrateshowit’spossibleforsmall,nimble,low-

infrastructurenewsoutletstocovertheircostswithadvertising.EditorRobertMorrisarguesthat

hyperlocalreportinghasspecificappealtolocalbusinesseslookingtoadvertise,andmayevenbe

anadvantagetothemoverlargerplayers.HereinNewZealand,titlesliketheWestportNewshave

beenboughtbackbylocalfamilies,andinthecomingyearscouldpresentnewmodelsfor

sustainingatraditionallocalnewspaperwithoutalargemediaconglomerateintheback-end.And

asFairfaxoffersupitssmallertitlesforsale,it’spossiblesomecouldbeboughtbysmallerprivate

players,co-operativesorcommunitymembersandreturntothis-ahyperlocalcommercialmodel

thatcanworkonasmallerscale.

Intermsoflarger-scalesolutions,IbelieveoneofthekeymodelstoforNewZealandtoconsideris

theLocalDemocracyReporters.Themodelistheonlyoneinthisreportwhichwouldimmediately

establishanationwidenetworkoflocalreporters.Wearewellset-uptodoso:RNZprovidesan

existinginfrastructure,whichhasalreadybegundistributingitspublicinterestjournalismto

multiplecommercialoutfits.Awire-styleservicewouldbenefittheentireNewZealandmedia

ecosystem,ratherthatjustafewoutlets,andiftheydesire,NZpublisherscouldunitetolobbyforit.

Ifwidelydistributedthroughmultiplepublishers,suchasystemwouldbenefitallNewZealanders

withstrong,reliablecoveragetheircommunities-ratherthanjustimprovingthingsonlyforthe

fewwhoareabletomaintainmembership-basedoutlets.WhiletheUKmodelisentirely

governmentfundedviatheBBC,thereisalsotheoptionofsupplementingitwithsmall

subscription-basedfeestopublishers,inthestyleofolderwireservices.And,ifitwere

implementedinthenextfewyears,itcouldalsotakeadvantageoftheexistingregionallocal

reporterswhoarecurrentlyfacingthespectreofpapersalesandredundancy-andpreservesome

ofthatinstitutionalknowledgebeforeitdisappearsentirely.

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Thefutureoflocal,afterall,hasimplicationsforthefutureofallnationalpublic-servicejournalism

inNewZealand.Returningagaintotheopeningsectionsofthisreport,wehearthat,“that

relationship-betweenlocalcitizensandtheirlocalsourcesofinformation-istheprovingground

fortrust.That’swhereitstarts,that’swherepeople’srelationshiptojournalismbegins.”Ifwecan

find,createandsustainlocalpublicservicejournalisminourcommunities,itwillflowontohow

thosecommunitiesreceiveandsupportjournalismasawhole.