Our Chief Executive has called on the Government to stop overlooking local news for its media spending, pointing out that “nearly six times more” is spent with tech platforms.
Writing in the Media Leader as part of the annual Journalism Matters campaign Danny Cammiade, vice-chairman of the News Media Association, says more support should be given to local titles, which reach 42m people, or 77 per cent of the population aged 15 and over, every month.
Danny writes: In a report on local news media in August, Enders Analysis described the sector’s online traffic as “mind-boggling,” pointing out that these large audiences are highly engaged.
Reach’s local titles alone drive traffic that is larger than Instagram and TikTok, the report added.
These numbers prove that people are hungry for local news and information and local news media is meeting this demand.
As AI turbocharges bad actors’ ability to create and distribute misinformation, trust — one of local news media’s key strengths — is becoming an even more important driver of brand profitability.
Central government saw the benefits of increasing investment in local news media during the pandemic through the ‘All Together’ campaign.
Yet, despite this case study for news media’s effectiveness, the Government still spends nearly six times more with the tech platforms despite their well-documented problems with misinformation and bad actors.
The latest audience data from Jicreg show that the local news media sector is reaching huge audiences.
We are a highly trusted source for local news and information, and trust is becoming an increasingly important driver of brand profitability.
As we celebrate Journalism Matters this week, I invite all advertisers and media agencies to consider the untapped potential that local media offers to your businesses.
Working together, we can drive success in business while supporting the local journalism which does so much good for communities right across Great Britain.
Read the full article here.