The importance of place in local journalism
Insights from two collaborative action research projects
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/journalistica.v20i1.156401Nøgleord:
local journalism, public space, place, action research, participatory journalism, civic engagementResumé
This paper explores what happens when local newspapers in Sweden try new and unexpected collaborations to meet challenges, for example by collaborating with local libraries. The research draws theoretically on the place-based public sphere and the mediated public sphere and empirically on workshops and semi-structured interviews with readers and Swedish journalists in two separate collaborative action research projects. The results show an increased importance of place when local media attempts to connect with its readers and increase civic engagement. Local media could also think more outside the box and increase the amount of participatory journalism. Furthermore, the paper concludes that local media needs to take more space in the local community, thus increasing its position in the local public sphere. Local media companies could increasingly investigate how to return to the local place-based public sphere they once inhabited, thus gaining a clearer place-identity.
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