Abstract
Should newspapers accept funding from the tech giant that threatens their economic destruction? If it means more journalists, why not?
The Community News Project (CNP) was launched at the start of 2019 as a partnership between Facebook, the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and nine regional news publishers (Archant, Barnsley Chronicle, Baylis, JPI Media, KM Group, MNA, Newbury Weekly News, Newsquest and Reach). Its primary objectives were threefold: to deliver trusted journalism to underserved communities; to recruit a diverse cohort of reporters; and to equip those reporters with professional skills and an industry-recognised qualification.
In truth, those objectives are ones that ought to resonate far beyond the boundaries of this particular scheme, if the news media sector is to continue to thrive. They are also inextricably linked. As a result, the successes of the Community News Project ought to be taken as lessons for an industry that continues to face numerous challenges.
Indeed, at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has placed additional burdens on the news media industry, it is a testament to the ability of the reporters deployed under the CNP banner (and to the sound fundamentals of the programme) that they have continued to excel over the last year, serving audiences with the kind of quality journalism that is needed more than ever.
In particular, a focus on equipping CNP reporters with the digital skills required to engage with communities as effectively online as offline has paid dividends more handsomely than anyone might have anticipated, with most reporters able to get out on their patch only intermittently and relying instead on story-gathering methods that can be deployed at the kitchen table. But it’s not all Facebook groups and CrowdTangle; old-fashioned phone calls seem to have regained popularity, in between Zooms. And pleasingly, the reporters regularly share tips and advice with one another – never mind that they are not all working for the same publisher. There is a community spirit among the CNP cohort.
At the outset of the project, the publishers identified 82 locations or communities which were currently not being covered by dedicated reporters: in some cases, coverage had fallen by the wayside; in others, the applicable audiences had never had the attention they perhaps deserved. In either case, the community reporter was tasked with tapping into their assigned community (be it geographic or demographic), developing ties and uncovering stories. Crucially, they were additional to existing newsroom structures. The CNP is not a means to enable cuts by the back door.
All publishers were encouraged to cast the net widely in their recruitment drives, seeking out talent in untested quarters. Many hires were local; most were untrained. The result was a richly diverse group: more than two-thirds of recruits met one or more of the diversity criteria identified by the project partners (including ethnicity, social class and the existence of a disability).
Notably, this has led at least some of the publisher partners to examine their approach to recruitment more broadly. Research consultant Mark Spilsbury, who has been independently evaluating the project since it was launched, commented on this in his mid-term report, published last October: “Beyond the immediate performance of individual reporters, the project has stimulated some publishers…to consider and [in some cases] to change, the way that the wider business operates. This includes recruitment, with some publishers changing both (i) the recruitment process (in terms of advertising and selection methods) and (ii) the type of individuals that are looked for.”
The impact at the individual level was summed up in a comment by Errol Edwards, community reporter at the Sheffield Star, in a piece written during Journalism Matters Week: “I once said to my editor that ‘people like me don’t get jobs like this’; but I did, and we can make a real difference.”
The CNP is not the first journalism scheme to place an emphasis on diversifying newsrooms. But it is surely one of the most successful; a result, perhaps, of understanding the key point that pulling down barriers to entry only works effectively if those who are recruited are given the support and the skills needed to do the job.
This is where the NCTJ’s role in managing the project has come to the fore, ensuring that every reporter works towards an appropriate qualification. For those without prior professional training (around two-thirds), the Diploma in Journalism has been their goal. For the minority of recruits who already had the diploma to their name, the NCTJ has developed a new pathway through the senior level National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ), with a particular focus on community reporting.
Several of the NCTJ’s accredited training centres have provided tutelage to the reporters, having developed bespoke programmes to meet the needs of a group that was learning on the job alongside their more formal studies. Additional skills sessions have been delivered by the NCTJ directly, and all reporters have attended Facebook “bootcamps” which have offered specific insights into key digital tools. The onset of the coronavirus pandemic last year necessitated even greater flexibility in teaching programmes than had originally been expected.
But whether delivered in person or remotely, rigorous training in practical journalism skills has been vital – if not always straightforward. Then again, the NCTJ’s qualifications are intended to be challenging: it is imperative that they continue to prepare individuals fully for life in a newsroom.
Pilot scheme’s success endorsed by further year’s funding
The juggling act involved in meeting the competing requirements of newsroom, classroom and (for many) family was neatly summed up in a piece written by Rebecca Beardmore, community reporter at the Blackpool Gazette, during the first coronavirus lockdown last May: “Another day beginning with a 6am walk, an 8am shorthand lesson, and a 9.30am team meeting. I spend as much time as possible in the morning going over shorthand dictations, because the only way to improve speed is to go over, and over, and over them.” All this before tackling a raft of stories for the Gazette.
Rebecca was among a cohort of CNP reporters studying for the Diploma in Journalism at The Sheffield College who completed their qualification in 2019 to gold standard. Other reporters studying at other centres are close to repeating that achievement.
If attaining high marks in NCTJ exams is one gauge of success, another is the quality of journalistic output. Ultimately, it is by the reporters’ work in producing stories that matter to their audiences that they – and the project – will be most publicly judged. And here too they have numerous accomplishments. Having been fortunate enough to judge submissions for the NCTJ’s upcoming awards for excellence, which include a category specifically for CNP reporters, I have seen their very best work at close quarters. But the NCTJ also monitors content that has not been put forward for prizes, and is able to take reassurance that the quality of output is high across the board.
It is inevitable, perhaps, that any journalism project funded by one of the big tech companies will be met with suspicion in some quarters; as if any positive collaboration with the news media sector can only be seen through the prism of, and as some sort of deliberate distraction from, debates about market share or regulation. The lack of nuance among the cynics is a shame, if not a surprise: cynicism is not known for its shades of grey.
The success of big tech may have created new challenges for news publishers, but it has plainly created distinct opportunities too. We are all part of a single ecosystem, after all. To dismiss successful collaborations – of which the CNP is a prime example, but not the only one – as a mere sideshow or stunt is to misunderstand the degree to which there is mutual interest in good journalism being done and being seen.
Facebook’s recent decision to renew the Community News Project for a further year at least is confirmation of the pilot scheme’s success – and a positive sign of the company’s commitment to supporting community journalism, as well as professional journalism training.
Some of the reporters who joined the project two years ago, and who have completed their NCTJ Diploma, will be retained in their roles and work towards the NQJ over the coming year. Other reporters will move into non-CNP positions and new recruits will take their places. To date, seven community reporters have moved into alternative full-time roles with the companies they joined when the project began; four others have taken on staff reporter jobs elsewhere.
That sense of progression, by which the project becomes a training ground for new journalists who subsequently take the skills they have learned – including an understanding of community engagement – into other parts of the newsroom, is critical. What’s more, it speaks to the kind of professional development that lies at the heart of the NCTJ’s mission not only to prepare prospective journalists for entry to the industry, but also to help them advance their professional skills during their careers.
In an era when resources across the news media sector are undoubtedly stretched, ensuring that individuals have the ability to hit the ground running when they enter their first job – and have opportunities to learn new skills thereafter – is arguably more important than ever.
This is why the NCTJ has placed such emphasis in the last year on making it possible for students to undertake exams remotely, making sure there is no break in the pipeline of new talent. It is also why the NCTJ launched its Journalism Skills Academy in October, making qualifications more accessible than ever before and providing a platform for a range of courses to suit professionals looking to develop their knowledge.
Sixteen years ago, the NCTJ was ahead of the curve when it launched the Journalism Diversity Fund (JDF). Financially backed by the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA Media Access), the JDF now receives annual contributions from 15 media organisations and has supported more than 400 people through their professional training. If the Journalism Skills Academy can make a similar mark when it comes to continuous professional development, it too will be a game-changer for the industry.
As for the Community News Project, it has already had a clear impact: for the reporters hired as part of the scheme, for the communities they now serve, and in informing future best practice across the industry.
