Local Democracy Reporting Service: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:35, 25 June 2022

Revision as of 14:37, 25 June 2022

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The '''Local Democracy Reporting Service''' is an initiative in the United Kingdom funded by the [[BBC]], which employs journalists to work with local independent news outlets, to improve the coverage of issues relating to [[Local government in the United Kingdom|local democracy]].<ref name="LDRS">{{cite web |title=Local Democracy Reporting Service |url=https://www.bbc.com/lnp/ldrs |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=25 June 2022 }}</ref><ref name="Lock">{{cite web |title=Local Democracy Reporting Service: A model for public broadcasters? |first1=Harry |last1=Lock |url=https://www.publicmediaalliance.org/local-democracy-reporting-service-a-model-for-public-broadcasters/ |publisher=Public Media Alliance |access-date=25 June 2022 |date=2 November 2021}}</ref><ref name="RadioExe">{{cite web |title=Local Democracy Reporting Service |url=https://www.radioexe.co.uk/news-and-features/ldrs-in-devon/ |website=Radio Exe |publisher=Radio Exe |access-date=25 June 2022 }}</ref> Its core purpose is stated as being "to provide impartial coverage of the regular business and workings of local authorities in the UK, and other relevant democratic institutions such as mayoralties, [[Combined authority|combined authority areas]], [[Police and crime commissioner|P&CCs]], [[quango]]s, etc."<ref name="LDRS" />

The scheme launched in 2017.<ref name="Lock" /> As of the 2021 contracting round, 165 "'''Local Democracy Reporters'''" ('''LDRs''') were employed by eighteen participating organisations, ranging from large bodies including [[DC Thomson]], [[Reach plc|Reach&nbsp;plc]], [[Newsquest]] and the ''[[Evening Standard]]'', to smaller outlets such as [[107.3 Radio Exe|Radio Exe]] and Social Spider, a [[community interest company]] which which publishes three north London community newspapers.<ref name="LDRS" /><ref name="Lock" /><ref name="LDRA-2021">{{cite web |title=New Local Democracy Reporting Service contract holders revealed |url=https://www.bbc.com/lnp/ldrs/2021_contracts/ |publisher=BBC |access-date=25 June 2022 }}</ref><ref name="x853">{{cite web |title=853 and the Local Democracy Reporting Service |url=https://853.london/about/853-and-the-local-democracy-reporter-scheme/ |website=853 |access-date=25 June 2022}}</ref>

Stories written by LDRS staff are pooled and can be used at no cost by over 1,000 participating news organisations, including the BBC.<ref name="LDRS" /><ref name="Lock" /><ref name="LDRA-2021" /><ref name="x853" /> LDRS stories have featured on national BBC radio and television news programmes.<ref name="Lock" /> In the first four years of the scheme, almost a quarter of a million stories were filed, with a peak of 1,321 in a seven-day period in September 2021.<ref name="Linford">{{cite news |last1=Linford |first1=Paul |title=Local Democracy Reporting service 'has become template" says Davie - Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage |url=https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/local-democracy-reporting-service-has-become-template-says-bbc-dg/ |access-date=25 June 2022 |work=Hold the Front Page}}</ref>