Local and regional journalism Going local and regional with in communicating Europe

1. Local and regional journalismGoing local and regional with in communicating Europe • Meeting with EJ journalist in Europe, I often hear: • “I’m just a regional journalist” or • “I work just for a local newspaper” • My answer is something like this: • Congratulations, do you know that on the area of papers 80-85 % of the readers of the daily newspapers read local or regional papers or the local part or national ones? • It represents and enormous potential!

2. Local journalism is premium-journalism • Local journalism is no low level journalism, but premium-journalism. • Local journalists have often more credibility that the mayor. • They trust him/her more also because what he/she writes can be easily examined and checked by readers.

3. Reporting about daily live in the municipality of region • Local and regional media report about what is happening outside you door, in the very fabric of society. • It is something related to you direct personal interests and worries. • For the local media is easier to organize debate on local issues with the involvement of citizens. • Local media make abstract debates concrete. • Structural funds: if the national media present mainly the main policy lines of the European measures, local media can highlight the useful, practical impact and concrete interests for the readers. • Bodo Hombach, CEO of WAZ-Mediagroup: “Local journalism is “Krönung of Journalism” ( Crowing, pick of journalism)

4. Should journalists create consensus?For noble reasons and high ideals, yes------------- • What is noble and what are high ideals? Shared principles and goals: • Peace, • security, • well-being • Solidarity • ……………. • EU: no doubts, yes!!

5. We need motivations! • Relations between journalist and publishers • Publishers are interested to sell papers or Increase audience. Europe is not always appealing.

6. Go local with EU • Arousing interest for EU: • 70-80% of our daily live affected by EU rules. • Contributions and grants • Creating conditions for development (omne agens agendo perficitur) • The four FREEDOMS: • Goods (economies of scale,…) • People (no border control, developing potential,..; • Services (TV without frontiers, services cutting costs; • Capitals (facilitating businesses, Euro,… • STRUCTURAL FUNDS

7. Five thesis for a good journalism • Journalism needs a well-balanced, unbiased relation between distance and proximity. • Journalist aren’t the best politicians • If Local journalism is premium journalism it must offer premium quality. • Local journalists have future, but they need to go with transformation. • Neverseat on a news.

8. Journalism need a well-balanced, unbiased distance and proximity • Be close to politicians the right proximity to get good and reliable information; to have reliable sources. • Do not be too close: you can run the risk of avoiding to report completely, correctly and unbiased and to be involves in corruption. • Being too close to politicians you can feel to belong to elites and loose your fairness and impartiality.

9. Journalist aren’t the best politicians • It is easy sometimes for journalists to have the temptation to show to politicians that they are better, that they can give better advises. • Journalist’s primary commitment is to make public matters in hand, facts, events and to disseminate information which are important and useful for political, economical, cultural, social interests.

10. If Local Journalism is Premium Journalism is must offer Premium Quality • For long time publisher and many editors in chief used to say that journalism is talent and gift only. • Now we know that if such virtues are important that are not sufficient to make a good journalist. • Praxis, ongoing studies and learning, being updated on several fields, keeping and developing relations with education agencies, institutions, colleagues an more is a must. • Quality is required and will be more and more a not-to-be-missed requisite.

11. Local Journalists have a future, but they need to go with transformations • The basic elements of journalism will not change substantially in the future. • Nevertheless the “speed” will change in an increasing way. • Presentation and circulation of news is and will be changing.

12. …future… • A published in Pasadena, California took the initiative to hire a Journalist in India to report about the meetings of a city Californian council: the meeting is in Internet and with the Indian Journalist the publisher saves Dollars. • Anyway a journalist reporting about a meeting of a city council must have with it amongst other a recorder, a camera and being able to prepare multimedia news and reports. • Once: journalist loses prestige to take picture. • Ability to adapt to upcoming new technology is required.

13. Never seat on a news • As soon as you realize that you find a news (news is what is different: there are several “degrees” of differences), do not wait, don’t be dormant: write, call or speak immediately. • American saying: if you seat on a news you burn something.

14. Responsibility in journalism • Completeness; entirety. • Objectivity. • Intelligibility; comprehensibility.

15. Journalism between power and responsibility according to Max Weber • Gesinnungsethisches Handel: tell the truth and don’t worry about consequences. • Verantwortungsethisches Handel: Keep the consequences in your eyes, to be aware of the what you can cause (negative) • Leidenschaft: Passion and Engagement: For: weakfacingstrong; minorityfacingmajority; victim of persecutionfacingpersecutor. Augenmaß: balance in all steps. Search( use correct instrument and ways; significance; no manipulation; suitable, appropriate selection of wording from verbs to adjectives. DO NOT USE WORDS TO GIVE VENT TO YOUR OSTILITY and RESENTMENTS