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Daily joins forces with council to launch ‘good news’ stories website

A new standalone website for ‘good news’ stories has been launched by a regional daily in partnership with businesses, volunteers and its local council.

The Plymouth Herald is involved in the launch of Our Plymouth, which will allow people to share their positive stories from across the city.

The site, which will also help to identify causes in need of volunteers, is being run in partnership with the voluntary and community sector, the private sector and Plymouth City Council.

It is hoped the site will help people to find out about volunteering, and help to bring together the various volunteering service providers in Plymouth.

Our Plymouth

Bill Martin, editor-in-chief of Trinity Mirror South West, said: “This launch is one of those really lovely things – really good news. The time’s are changing – political, economic – and it is being mirrored in news.

“Bad news used to sell newspapers in thousands because people used to be interested in it, but that is changing. Our newsrooms haven’t just got reporters in them anymore, there are video journalists, analysts, and social media editors.

“With all of that comes data and data tells us what people are reading, who they are, how often they read it. That tells us more of us are interested in good news.

“We’re in an age where we’re being told social media and the news is making us depressed and we know there will always be a bigger audience for hard breaking news and we will continue to report that, but we also know there are people who want to switch off from all that negativity and there are thousands of people doing things to make their communities a better place to live.

“This great new initiative has 100 per cent support of its local media and I can promise you we will be following this new content agenda.”

Darin Halifax, senior policy advisor at Plymouth City Council, added: “Our Plymouth is everyone’s. We want it to celebrate, inspire and inform. Phase one is all about content – we need your stories. We need you to fill the pages of our website and The Herald. We want to celebrate this city.

“We want to make sure the website and The Herald is full of the stuff we want to read. The celebratory stuff, the stuff that makes us smile. It’s the place of this remarkable, gorgeous, beautiful city.”

5 comments

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  • April 6, 2018 at 10:06 am
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    It used to be about ‘news’, neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’, but news that would mean something to people on the patch, something interesting that would get people talking.
    If papers concentrated on that and invested in journalists so it could be delivered, the industry wouldn’t be in the parlous state it is.

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  • April 6, 2018 at 11:03 am
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    Hmmmmm. So much for upholding accountability once you’re in the council’s pocket.
    Still on the plus side I’m guessing “we need your stories. We need you to fill the pages of our website and The Herald” means lots and lots of free UGC. Ho-hum.

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  • April 6, 2018 at 9:34 pm
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    Newspaper should never get into bed with other organisations – especially councils. Outrageous.

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  • April 8, 2018 at 1:24 am
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    Sounds like a website for people who want to hide away from the big, bad world and pretend it isn’t happening.

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