Public interest news 'needs government funding'
"There needs to be public funding for public interest journalism."
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Last week, The Detail and VIEWdigital hosted talks and a public discussion at Ulster University in Belfast to mark the first ever #IndieNewsWeek, run by the Public Interest News Foundation.
Experts and audience members discussed the importance of independent local journalism and how the industry can improve and develop in the future.
The audience heard that falling local newspaper readership and huge changes in the industry have put all media organisations under pressure, particularly those who focus on public interest stories over clickbait.
Trevor Birney, editor of The Detail, said that, in order to survive, public interest journalism needs to receive government funding.
A proper, healthy, functioning society can only… operate properly with a really, really strong, vibrant, well-funded fifth estate
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Maeve Connolly, head of audience strategy and growth at The Irish News, said changes in the industry, including the growth of Artificial Intelligence, can be an opportunity.
We must continue to innovate in order to survive. I think the more we collaborate; the more we knowledge-share; the more united we are as an industry, the better.
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Here’s more of what some of our panellists and speakers had to say.
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When voters go to the polls on July 4 to pick between six candidates (in Fermanagh and South Tyrone), it looks likely that the only real fight will be between Sinn Féin’s Pat Cullen and Ulster Unionist Diana Armstrong
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Totally agree. A public fund (independently managed) should be used to support the reporting of courts, councils, public bodies and investigative journalism. I cover courts and so many trials are not covered by any journalists because editors and news editors either don't have the staff to send or would rather deploy their reporters on showbiz or other stories which are more guaranteed to bring clicks and ad revenue. I have set up a Substack to showcase my court reporting - https://totalcrime.substack.com/ (it's free to subscribe)