Almost three years after their introduction was recommended by the Future of Media Commission, round one of the media regulator’s local democracy and courts reporting schemes is now open to applications from either news outlets “with a track record” of covering these areas or the freelancers who work with them. These are worthwhile, important schemes, which should have the intended effect of supporting day-to-day public interest journalism and helping to keep local reporting alive.
The arrival of special State supports for coverage of district and circuit courts, local authority hearings and other related matters tells a story of its own, of course, and it’s not a pretty one. Local newspapers used to have a solid income stream from print circulation and advertising that has since been decimated by changed consumer habits and the migration of ads to online platforms owned by the US tech industry. The Irish news business cannot afford to sniff at this total pot of €6 million in exchequer funding – indeed, it will be hoping that the schemes are renewed after their initial pilot.
The small print of the schemes, launched on Wednesday by Coimisiún na Meán, suggests the regulator will only accept applications for positions that are “additional” in some way, rather than allowing the money to be used to fund coverage and reportage that “already exists” or is “standard content”. Funding is designed to be used for “new or enhanced posts” sought for freelance, part-time or fixed-term contract journalists, or “enhanced working terms” for a staff journalist.
In theory, therefore, the schemes will create employment. In practice, it is not hard to envisage a situation where the funding is effectively used to replace roles or coverage that only recently fell victim to cost cuts. The regulator’s review of how the schemes are working, who is benefiting from them and the impact of the reporting they produce will be essential here, if only because some news groups have greater resources than others. It would not be fair if these contestable funds were awarded in such a way that they favour the big guys at the expense of the little ones.
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The Coimisiún na Meán has signalled that all content funded through the schemes will be available within seven days on a portal – initially, its own website – that will freely share it. This means that almost as soon as this State-supported journalism is produced, the public will be able to make up its own mind.
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