The Three “Cs” of Digital Local Journalism: Community, Commitment and Continuity

Abstract

In a rapidly changing digital world, scholars have focused on new technologies, communication trends, and have re-imagined new ways of doing or transforming journalism. In these endeavours, however, local journalism has received relatively little attention despite the sector going through fundamental changes. In this introduction to the special issue Disrupting and resettling the local in digital news spaces, we suggest that while the practice of local journalism has been shaken, even decimated in parts of some countries, it is beginning to resettle with renewed clarity about its role and purpose. Articles in this issue suggest there are three interconnecting elements of local journalism in a digital world: community, commitment and continuity. Local media practices orbit around a connection to certain geographies and physical spaces. Audiences expect journalists to reinforce and represent a sense of community (and care) and this develops through a commitment to a place and its people that is established over time. Tensions then, can emerge between “old” ways of doing things and how digital technologies and practices can best complement, recreate, immerse and/or reinforce this relationship. Rather than view digital as a “shiny” superior way to do “local” journalism or as simply a way to reduce costs, we must find an in-between.

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