Volunteer journalism is being seen as a solution to ensure that communities get the local news and information they want and need. Volunteers give their time and effort to share, curate, and create content to keep local people informed.
Why are volunteer journalists important?
Many people will have noticed the streamlining of local news organisations. Local newspapers now share content from larger, more centralised publications, as do local news and radio channels. Volunteer journalists can fill the gap by providing truly relevant news and information for local people.
There is undoubtedly a need for professional journalists who have completed NCTJ training, including news and sports journalism courses with organisations such as https://schoolofjournalism.co.uk/journalism-courses/sports. However, there is also a place for volunteers who can serve their communities while at the same time gaining more experience and skills. Many volunteer journalists are already on professional journalism courses and want to put their skills into practice, and many more will decide to embark on these at a later date.
The difference between volunteer and professional journalists
The main difference between volunteer and professional journalists is their motivations. Many volunteers have the primary aim of keeping their own communities connected and informed. Professional journalists may be motivated by their own agendas, personal interests or financial rewards, but many volunteers simply have a passion for serving their areas.
Many volunteer journalists understand and share the priorities of organisations such as the Local News Commission, which promotes the role of local journalism in connecting communities, promoting civic engagement and holding local officials and organisations to account.
Effective volunteer journalism can help raise issues that have real importance to local communities and share news information without being affected by wider news agendas and other biases. They also help to address the losses in local news coverage over the years, with over 2,000 news organisations ceasing to exist in the last 20 years alone. With plummeting revenues, more media company consolidations, and the rising influence of digital media on the cards, volunteer journalists may have an increasingly important role in the future.
