AddThis SmartLayers

Guardian to close regional ‘beatblogger’ project

A regional news project launched by the Guardian just over a year ago is set to close because it is unsustainable, it has been announced. 

The Guardian Local initiative started last March, with three ‘beatbloggers’ – John Baron in Leeds, Hannah Waldram in Cardiff and Michael MacLeod in Edinburgh – covering what was happening in their local communities. 

But their jobs and that of editor Sarah Hartley are now thought to be at risk, after it was announced the blogs would be wound down over the next month. 

The Guardian’s head of digital engagement Meg Pickard said: “As an experiment in covering local communities in a new way, it has been successful and enlightening. Unfortunately, while the blogs have found engaged local readerships and had good editorial impact, the project is not sustainable in its present form.”