Lokalno je svetovno

Lokalna informacija je danes podcenjena, a še vedno nujna in zelo iskana, kar največkrat odkrijemo ob naravnih in drugih nesrečah. Ali ko nas zanima, kje bo zapora ceste, kdaj bo kraj dobil vodovod in zakaj gradnja zamuja. Lokalni mediji prinašajo novice, ki so jih mnogi vseslovenski mediji že davno opustili, ljudje pa še vedno želijo biti obveščeni o dogajanju v svojem kraju, občini, regiji. Zgodbe domačih junakov iz majhnih krajev so velikokrat tudi zelo navdihujoče, a prostora zanje – razen v lokalnih medijih – skoraj ni.

Tudi za lokalne medije pa velja, da so informacije, ki jih dobijo, kakovostne in verodostojne. Jih lokalni mediji, ki se soočajo s praviloma majhnimi novinarskimi redakcijami, še lahko zagotavljajo? Koliko je še časa za terensko delo? Se morajo soočati tudi s pritiski politike, lokalnih oblasti, oglaševalcev? Kakšne so zahteve lastnikov medijev, razumejo pomen neodvisnega novinarstva? 

Preverili bomo, kako lokalni mediji sledijo trendom v hitro spreminjajočem se medijskem svetu, prilagajanja namreč zahtevajo tudi finančne vložke. Kako zahtevna je prodaja oglasnega prostora in kaj lokalni mediji pričakujejo od novega Zakona o medijih, ki je v sprejemanju.

Local information is undervalued today, but it is still necessary and highly sought after, as is most often found in natural and other disasters. Or when we want to know where a road will be closed, when a place will get a water main and why construction is delayed. Local media bring news that many national media have long abandoned, but people still want to be informed about what is happening in their town, municipality, region. The stories of local heroes from small towns are often very inspiring, but there is hardly any space for them – except in the local media.

Local media, however, are also committed to the quality and credibility of the information they receive. Can local media, faced with generally small newsrooms, still provide it? How much time is left for fieldwork? Do they also have to face pressure from politics, local authorities, advertisers? What are the demands of media owners, do they understand the importance of independent journalism?

We will examine how local media are keeping up with the trends in a rapidly changing media world, because adaptation also requires financial investment. How challenging is it to sell advertising space and what do local media expect from the new Media Law that is being adopted.