Lulu Goad, Multimedia Reporter at the Wellington Weekly News, reports on the news in the community in Somerset near where she grew up.
Having joined in September 2024, she talks about the appeal of building relationships in the region where she lives as part of her first full-time journalism role.
What are the main responsibilities in your role?
My day to day responsibilities centre on filing news stories relevant to the area where we publish. I collate information from members of the public up to local figures such as the MP, along with getting details from press officers of various organisations. I like being able to speak to people in person so being in the centre of the town is a great place to give access to the public to visit us.
We get emails from people who are in dire straits and reach out to us with their news to help their situation. Our news stories are published in the newspaper every Friday and on the website more immediately, depending on the priorities.
We want news to be as accessible to the public as possible but there is a balance between having a good digital presence and supplying news in the print edition.
On social media we engage with people predominantly on Facebook as that is where most people share their news but I also use X, formerly Twitter, to find out information from sources like the local police.
Which jobs did you have before you joined the company?
Prior to joining, I studied Arabic at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), which included travelling to Jordan for my studies. I was editor in chief of the student newspaper for my last year having worked on it for three years.
I worked in podcast production in the run up to the 2024 General Election so I brought some experience of the media world when I came here. I grew up on a farm near here so taking up this opportunity was a lovely chance to move back home.
What was the appeal of joining the company?
I was really keen to get into journalism and knew that working in regional news in a rural setting was a nice opportunity to report on a single place. Tindle is known for publishing in rural areas so I was pleased when there was a chance to work here.
It is a great place for young journalists to develop. Local journalism is the bread and butter of news in this country, as many national stories are collated from scouring regional news.
What is a typical working day in your role?
A typical working day involves lots of emailing and contacting people to find stories for the paper and the website. On quieter days I work on entertainment news. With a close knit team we all field calls from the public or contacts and liaise with readers on potential stories. I like to get out to interview people and take photos.
Which colleagues do you interact with the most in your working day?
I share office space with my editorial colleagues John Thorne of the West Somerset Free Press and Sam Finan of the Midsomer Norton & Radstock Journal. My editor is Zoe Uglow and I speak to Advertising Manager Ria Rickward to share information which overlaps between news and commercial opportunities.
What do you enjoy about working for Tindle?
The job provides me with the opportunity to meet a lot of people. I speak to people across the local area regularly including people in official roles such as the mayor or local councillors. I really enjoy being able to speak to such a mix of people and build relationships.
How do you use digital in your role?
As the media landscape changes we are increasingly focussed on digital. We aim to make as many videos as we can, providing footage on stories. We update the website regularly and use the Google panels for publishers which are an essential way of sharing our news.
What are your interests outside of work?
Living on a farm I like gardening and I do lots of reading. I also like exercising.