Thousands of local journalists around the UK will continue to play a vital role at the centre of the current New Media revolution, says the President of the Society of Editors.

Neil Fowler, who is also editor of The Western Mail, said that local reporters provided a fact-finding service that could not be replicated from any other origin without the greatest of investments.

“They source the content that is now said to be king. Some years ago, the local reporter would have seen his or her role as merely providing stories for their newspaper. That has now clearly changed,” he said.

He continued: “Reporters are now the information-gatherers par excellence. They research and write stories for not only their traditional newspapers but for the many other ways that news is now being disseminated and will be disseminated in the years ahead.”

Writing in the latest edition of Newspaper Society News, Mr Fowler added: “The Internet provides content on a hitherto unimagined scale. But our customers have only limited time in which to read and digest this information being metaphorically thrown at them from all directions. This is where the context that the local reporter brings with the role will continue to be of vital importance.”

“The local reporter with experience who comprehends the issues of the day, understands which stories to write about, and knows the patch thoroughly will still be vital in providing news and information as the boundaries of the world disappear.”

He said ‘the Metro phenomenon’ – the current free newspaper war – had shown “there was still life in the old printed dog”.

He concluded: “Our traditional king is not yet dead. Long Live the King.

To link to The Society of Editors website click here

To link to the Newspaper Society website click here

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