There’s a great scene in journalism memoir ‘Panic as Man Burns Crumpets’ where the author is left in an almost deserted newsroom and reads about how his company is ‘investing in frontline journalism.’
To bring that up to date, today there’d probably be no newsroom and maybe a hub miles away where the title was put together by people who’d never been to that town.
But, all this comes from a place where local titles and local journalism is seen as important. I’d say those days in many parts of the UK are over.
A couple of years ago, I ran some research on how much content was local in local titles. In Reach titles online, this was hovering at just over 50 per cent for the content posted to Facebook. Changes announced this month are likely to push that lower.
But what is it?
And what does it mean?
Breaking: the announcement
Reach plc have announced plans to put 600 journalists ‘at risk’ and make just over half of this figure redundant. A further 135 new roles will be created and offered first to those at risk.
The company will blur the lines between the newsrooms of national titles and regional titles with reporters writing for the Daily Mirror and say Birmingham Live which is the online version for Birmingham Post & Mail. The aim, the company say, is to remove duplication.
More video and less text will be produced under the new approach.
Here’s what’s likely to be the impact for public sector comms teams.
Fewer reporters to speak to
Speaking to comms teams, there’s already a frustration at being unable to identify and build a relationship with reporters. There are fewer of them and they move on far quicker. This trend can only increase.
Of course, the decline in relationships will harm both sides. A press officer is less likely to trust a journo they’ve never spoken to and has a shaky understanding of the patch or the backstory. Take this important element out and a decline in the quality of local stories is inevitable.
More Facebook comments as a bin fire
Newspapers post to Facebook and then often don’t monitor comments. Comments can sometimes be racist, vile and borderline actionable. Some Reach journalists, to their credit, are bothered by this. Let’s hope they are the ones who are retained and have the time to keep an eye out, eh?
Report, complain, act.
More complaining about inaccurate stories
Stories produced by a reporter with poor knowledge of an area will lead to more inaccuracy and error. The need to pick up the phone and complain has never been greater. That said, people may not even have a number to call.
Report, complain and act (again).
Damage to civic society
Evidence has shown that there is a direct link between the decline in local newsrooms and local democracy. A council being publicly held to account in the Press leads to greater confidence and voter turnout. Fewer reporters with local knowledge isn’t a positive.
Less words and more video
The move from Reach plc towards more video and less text chimes with how people consume media in the UK. It’s a sensible approach. We spend a vanishingly small amount of time reading print local newspapers and lots of time consuming social media. Within that social media figure is a big chunk of video. Lord knows, I’ve been banging on about this.
However, I can recognise the pain this is likely to cause for reporters whose skills as a writer are suddenly less in demand.
A public sector comms team needs to be producing more video and less text. The reminder from Reach plc’s direction is a welcome reminder that should not be ignored.
News sites as emergency planning concerns
When the car drove into the Liverpool FC trophy parade, we saw Merseyside Police’s messaging move quickly to fill a void that was rapidly being filled by the far right. Those messages were picked up quickly by the Reach-run Liverpool Echo as well as national media. What followed was responsible reporting. A potential tinderbox was made safe that bad actors were desperate to try and set fire to.
However, had that incident happened in the Black Country where Reach plc are weak I’m not sure there would have been the staff to cover it properly. Under these changes, more flexibility to move assets in an emergency would appear possible. However, let’s see, shall we?
There will be more ‘clickbait’… much more
The Collins online definition ‘verb. to encourage website viewers to click through to another website using an enticing hyperlink’ would cover much of what is posted to my local Black Country Live Facebook page.
This is likely to play out as more content from other parts of the country. If it clicks in Belfast, it’ll click in Plymouth. Only the fact its in Belfast will likely be buried deep in the story for other parts of the country. A simple visit to comments sections shows how irritated people are with this. But hey, those messages count as engagement, right?
It would be more honest if Reach plc admitted their titles were now national with a bit of a local flavour rather than the other way round.
Invest in video and their own channels
Your corporate channels and your other owned media become more important. On Facebook, go and share it to the right Facebook groups. I keep banging on about this. There’s other 2026 strategies you can adopt but this isn’t the place to go through all of them. Do so.
Where Reach go others may follow
If Reach make this work other newspaper groups may follow. Just because you don’t have a Reach title in your area doesn’t mean you will not affected. They may be inventing a template for how to make journalism pay in the UK. But by retreating from local knowledge they may also be opening a gap for others to move into. The email-first subscription Manchester Mill, for example, shows that people will pay for something local and quality. Whether enough do to make a difference is an open question.
More educate the client
I keep banging on about this. The most important thing a comms person needs to do in 2025 is educate the client. By this, I mean educating the chief executive, cabinet member, Councillor, clinician, civil servant or firefighter. Take data with you for this. It’s important to remember that this is a painting the Forth Bridge operation. You will never complete it but you must keep doing it.
The councillor who is worried about the frontpage of the local paper is literally in the wrong century. It’s your job with data to educate them. Be their guide.
I deliver training to help you make sense of the changing landscape ESSENTIAL AI FOR PUBLIC SECTOR COMMS, ESSENTIAL COMMS SKILLS BOOSTER, ESSENTIAL MEDIA RELATIONS and ESSENTIAL VIDEO SKILLS REBOOTED.
Creative commons credit: Newspaper shop by Dominic Alves.