TRENTO - I was yesterday night in Trento to speak about journalism and local development to an audience of fantastic "social economy" workers and activists coming from all over Eastern Europe. Here is what I though I would say.
(What really happened was a passionate discussion about the way they can deal with the media - which are a cynical environment - for regenerating a social culture in a context that had a bad experience with that kind of word...).
The event was organized by the Oecd's Leed Programme. Great people!
- Journalism and local development
Local development is an issue of social responsibility, sound policy, private and public initiatives, territorial knowledge, community awareness, creativity, openness to globalization, and much more. Those that work to improve local development are usually hard workers that would like everybody to volunteer with them to support their cause.
Local journalism, as any other journalism, is about making money in the publishing industry. But publishing is not like any other industry. It is linked with culture, feelings, awareness, and, last but not least, information needs. When it works it creates a flow of news and ideas: it is a channel in which everybody would like to see their content.
Journalism becomes a set of communication, information, show, and social service.
All these roles follow their own logics. There are both synergies and contradictions in this simultaneous flow of differently motivated ideas.
It is not possible to only have communication in a newspaper: it would not be a reading worth the effort. There must be information and news, which has a practical use, but also has a community building effect. But it cannot be boring: some kind of entertainment is needed (nice interface design, easy writing, no heavy information, and sometimes even spicy content).
There is a credibility issue, equilibrium between communication and information is needed, and the business side of the publishing venture must also be taken into account. Brief: publishing is not an easy industry to live in.
What can organizations that are involved in local development do to make the most of journalism?
First, understand how journalism works. Second, create their information and communication tools. Third, define what they want to communicate, in what they can help information, and how much they can invest in all this.
- Local development needs journals
Local development is of course a complex phenomenon. It is an issue of social responsibility, sound policy, private and public initiatives, territorial knowledge, community awareness, creativity, openness to globalization, and much more.
Those that work to improve local development are usually hard workers that would like everybody to volunteer with them to support their cause.
They can do much with their ideas and strength. But if many know what they are doing their effort has better results. And there is no reason why journals should not help them. Or there is?
The problem is that independent journals react with their logic. They don't marry any idea if it doesn't fit in their mechanism.
What mechanism?
- Journalism and local journalism
Local journalism, as any other journalism, is about making money in the publishing industry. But publishing is not like any other industry.
It is linked with culture, feelings, awareness, and, last but not least, information needs. When it works it creates a flow of news and ideas: it is a channel in which everybody would like to see their content.
The channel transports different kinds of content:
1. Communication is the flow of information that comes from sources that want their message to be heard. It is usually done with advertising and public relations.
2. Information is the flow of news that is generated with a journalistically controlled methodology.
3. Entertainment means nice interface design, easy writing, no heavy information, and sometimes even spicy content
4. Social service: community news that are important to remind but not new, like pharmacies' addresses, or police and firemen phone numbers.
- Synergies and contradictions
All these roles follow their own logics. There are both synergies and contradictions in this simultaneous flow of differently motivated ideas. No newspaper can only serve one of these logics. It is not possible to only have communication in a newspaper: it would lack credibility. There must be information and news, which has a practical use, but also has a community building effect. But it cannot be boring: some kind of entertainment is needed.
Contradictions are possible. There is a credibility issue, equilibrium between communication and information is needed, and the business side of the publishing venture must also be taken into account.
How is it done?
1. Outsourcing of information is a solution: the Oecd is a respected source of information and newspapers publish its content without any problem.
2. Clearly identifying what is communication and what is information is another.
3. Specializing in small niches to build a community around common interests is another solution. This is the one that local journalism is usually about.
- Local and national journalism
Local journalism is very much about community building. Information and communication blur when it comes to the relation between local and global. The public has its own ideas about development issues and often doesn't want something to happen: a new mega-mall, a nuclear plant, a waste management system, power lines, and other things.
Only a national journalism can correct too aggressively reactive populations. But national journalism often forgets territorial and local information. There is a need for an equilibrium between national and local information, like there is a need for an equilibrium between communication and information.
- What to do?
What can organizations that are involved in local development do to make the most of journalism?
First, understand how journalism works. Newspapers need credible information sources: giving them good information is perfect to get into the flow.
Second, create their information and communication tools. The Internet is the main solution to deal directly with the right target. But it needs to be very well designed. A partnership with an existing good site is often the best solution.
Third, define what they want to communicate, in what they can help information, and how much they can invest in all this. There must always be a budget to use in advertising and public relations. But this is less important if the first and second solutions are well done.
--- please visit my Italian site at: http://www.debiase.com ---
9:49:06 AM  ;
|
