New Hedon Blog – a Community Local News Hub project?
I’m looking for collaborators to work with me to explore ideas about HU12 Online (Hedon Blog) re-launching and re-branding as a community resource providing community news and information services on a daily basis a for a long time into the future. This would be a significant change from our current What’s On? listings service.
The idea of creating a Community Local News Hub is nothing new, and I’ve suggested something similar a few times in previous years. In short, the new Hedon Blog project would aim to set up a network of community citizen-journalist reporters and creative/technical supporters with access potentially to training opportunities. Working as a community cooperative the reporters and supporters would own and control the project.
dig out and report on local issues and news stories
This network would dig out and report on local issues and news stories in the communities of Hedon, Paull, Preston and Thorngumbald (e.g. news from communities and from business, faith, sports, history, leisure, nature, hobby and other groups). It would offer balanced coverage of controversial issues, but above all aim to be a source of positive press around which community action could be celebrated, supported and promoted. Another aim would be to hold local authorities and services to account (ward, town and parish councils; fire, police, health services, etc) and report on their activities and thereby help strengthen local democracy.
The Ideas Panel (add your own ideas in the comments):
Are you passionate about the place you live? Could you write about and talk to others about the place (whether Hedon, Paull, Preston or Thorngumbald)?
Could you help seek out those in the community not normally heard (not just the loudest voices)?
Perhaps you run a sports team and would like to see lots more about your particular sport or team on the Blog?
You could have an interest in being our health correspondent and keeping local folk informed about what’s going on with the NHS, the local surgeries, the Clinical Commissioning Group, Healthwatch and the many support groups that have been established to help people with particular medical conditions?
We have a rich variety of wildlife in Hedon and District which is one of the delights of living in the area. But not everyone has the privilege of being able to get out and about and see/experience it. Could you use your photography or video skillsto bring the wonders of our natural environment to local people?
The area has a fascinating local history – could you help research and share knowledge of this to a new audience?
This area and the world faces an unprecedented climate crisis. Could you be our environmental correspondent – Hedon’s Green Revolutionary?
You bring your passion for a subject – we can provide the training in how to publish your stuff on the Hedon Blog. And remember, our stories are constantly being picked up by other media organisations too!
The best way to make sure that Hedon Blog covers the things that interest you is to write about them yourself. Perhaps you could be one of our new bloggers or video bloggers in 2021?
Whilst the main vehicle for reporting local news will be via this website, we also need people who know social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, etc) and how to manage groups on them. A particular growth area will be video blogging with a large part of our content being digital video.
I aim to start off by collecting together the names of those interested in getting involved in the New Year (we’ll meet up via Zoom or other online means in January 2021). If you can play any role whatsoever – whether large or small – in the Hedon Blog Local News Hub project, then get in touch!
- Do you have a flair for writing and an eye for good still or video images?
- Could you help collect and gather the views of others, and present that information in a balanced way?
- Do you have an interest in any of the areas we’ve mentioned (business, faith, sports, history, leisure, nature, health, fire, police, particular hobbies, etc) that you could develop as a niche?
- Do you have investigative and research skills to ensure our news is not hearsay or just opinion but verified factual reporting?
- Do you have video production skills (film making, editing, publishing)?
- Are you prepared to learn new skills, work as part of a team and pass on those skills to members?
- Have you got a sense of fun, good humour and are you willing to experiment?
Interested in getting involved or sharing ideas about this? In the first instance email the Editor at hu12@gmx.com or rlduffill@gmail.com
Ray Duffill, Editor, December 2020.
