Your say / Bristol24/7
‘National news cannot focus on grassroots organisations and initiatives in the way we can’
I try to avoid the news. I find that national and global news makes me feel really bad. Because I experience anxiety and depression, I find that looking at the news is a pretty effective way of triggering those feelings. Don’t get me wrong, I understand precisely the importance of reporting on the many, many challenges that humanity is facing. It’s just that often, it makes me feel small and powerless and I don’t know what to do about it.
Given all of that, you may think it’s absurd that I work for a local news company.
But in the two years that I have worked for Bristol24/7, I have discovered that local news is very different, and that quality local journalism can play a critical role in helping to solve the problems that our society is facing.
is needed now More than ever
Bristol24/7 is quite different from many other local news organisations. We’re a community interest company (CIC), which means that we reinvest into a host of projects around Bristol that strive to make our city a better place, for everyone.
Last year, Bristol24/7 became the first local news organisation in the world, as far as we are aware, to hire a dedicated Climate and Sustainability Editor. Since then, we have had two people in that role who have been platforming the grassroots environmental projects and plans right here in Bristol.
Climate and Sustainability Editor Ursula (left) and Managing Director Ben Wright (right) did a Q&A at the Blue Earth Summit last year on the importance of communicating the climate emergency – photo: Charlie Watts
Why is that important?
Perhaps this is optimistic of me, but I believe that the solutions to our many challenges already exist. The innovations, conversations and ideas that need to happen have already begun.
Despite the perilous state of the world, we are at an incredibly opportune and exciting moment. The work to build a sustainable, local future that works for everyone has begun, in small pockets all over our city and beyond. I see it daily as I’m going about my work and in the pages of Bristol24/7 both in print and online.
The challenge is connecting those people and ideas and conversations with each other, with investment, and with you.
How do we do that?
It’s difficult to invest in a project, volunteer your time, connect with local businesses and so on and so forth if you don’t know those things exist. We need something that can connect people and projects and charities and initiatives together. We also need something that can hold local government and related parties to account. So that – to paraphrase Eminem – when they say they are going to do something, they do it.
That to me is where local journalism comes in. National news cannot focus on grassroots organisations and initiatives in the way we can. We write about the things that are happening and that need addressing right here in our own city. Fifteen-thousand people across Bristol get an email with our top stories every morning. That’s powerful stuff.
I hope you can also see the potential that local journalism holds. I hope that you will finish reading this article wanting to stay in touch.
The challenge is that local journalism does not get much funding. Bristol24/7 exists constantly on a financial tightrope. Our full-time team is made up of only a dozen people and each of us does the jobs of about three people just to make ends meet. We have grand plans to light a path for a new type of independent media, one that exists to serve and support our society, but we need your help to do so.
Some of the Bristol24/7 team celebrating reaching 1000 members last year – photo: Bristol24/7
As an individual, if you can spare £5 a month, you can become a member. Your £5 will go directly to supporting our journalism and our social impact projects. We’re completely independent, so you can be sure that your investment is going straight into projects that are important and not lining the pockets of a big corporation. We’ve just celebrated reaching a big milestone – we now have more than 1000 people across Bristol backing our journalism. We want to grow this tenfold.
If you’re part of a business that would like to connect with other like-minded businesses in Bristol and collaborate to support important projects, we also have a business membership. It offers rewards for your hard working staff and gives you the opportunity to be part of a network of more than 60 organisations in Bristol who are working together on making our city a better place.
The Better Business community meet quarterly to share projects, updates and ideas – photo: Lucy Kenchington
Finally, we were very lucky to get funding to sponsor our Climate Editor for the first two years. Without that funding we wouldn’t have been able to create such a position. We think that in about a year’s time, we will be able to fund that role ourselves. But we’re not quite there yet. Without another year’s funding, we will lose Ursula Billington, who is our current wonderful Climate & Sustainability Editor, and it will set us back at least six months in terms of finding funding and recruiting again for the role. If you think you could help us, or you represent a business or organisation who might be able to help, please get in touch.
It is often said that journalism is the first draft of history. I hope you’ll join us in making it a good one.
Meg Houghton-Gilmour is Bristol24/7’s Head of Audience.
Main photo: Lucy Kenchington
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