Ross Hawkes
@rosshawkes.bsky.social
Journalism educator. Also founded (and still runs!) a volunteer-led news website and local newspaper. PhD and research interests around independent local news provision.
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
The latest edition of The Lichfield and Burntwood Independent is out now 🗞️
Find out where to get your copy here 👉 lichfieldlive.co.uk/lbi-map/
Don't forget, our volunteers rely on advertising to produce the paper - for details email advertising@lichfieldlive.co.uk
Find out where to get your copy here 👉 lichfieldlive.co.uk/lbi-map/
Don't forget, our volunteers rely on advertising to produce the paper - for details email advertising@lichfieldlive.co.uk
February 6, 2025 at 12:53 PM
The latest edition of The Lichfield and Burntwood Independent is out now 🗞️
Find out where to get your copy here 👉 lichfieldlive.co.uk/lbi-map/
Don't forget, our volunteers rely on advertising to produce the paper - for details email advertising@lichfieldlive.co.uk
Find out where to get your copy here 👉 lichfieldlive.co.uk/lbi-map/
Don't forget, our volunteers rely on advertising to produce the paper - for details email advertising@lichfieldlive.co.uk
A manic deadline this week thanks to fly-tippers, burst pipes, school closures, abandoned dogs and even dead sheep - but we got there again in the end 🥵🗞️
The latest edition of The Lichfield and Burntwood Independent is out now - pick up points are here 👉🏻 lichfieldlive.co.uk/lbi-map/
Our amazing volunteers can only produce your local paper thanks to advertisers - find out how to place an ad here 👉🏻 lichfieldlive.co.uk/media-kit/
Our amazing volunteers can only produce your local paper thanks to advertisers - find out how to place an ad here 👉🏻 lichfieldlive.co.uk/media-kit/
January 23, 2025 at 11:36 AM
A manic deadline this week thanks to fly-tippers, burst pipes, school closures, abandoned dogs and even dead sheep - but we got there again in the end 🥵🗞️
First paper of 2025 is out - great work by a team completely made up of volunteers.
But the challenge of keeping us in print and online is an ongoing one 🥵
But the challenge of keeping us in print and online is an ongoing one 🥵
The first edition of The Lichfield and Burntwood Independent in 2025 is out today - get your copy now 🗞️ lichfieldlive.co.uk/lbi-map/
Our volunteers rely on advertising and members to provide local news in print and online. Details on ad rates are here 👉🏻 lichfieldlive.co.uk/media-kit/
Our volunteers rely on advertising and members to provide local news in print and online. Details on ad rates are here 👉🏻 lichfieldlive.co.uk/media-kit/
January 9, 2025 at 12:16 PM
First paper of 2025 is out - great work by a team completely made up of volunteers.
But the challenge of keeping us in print and online is an ongoing one 🥵
But the challenge of keeping us in print and online is an ongoing one 🥵
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
🚨NEW PUBLICATION🚨Our US rural journalism team ( @ljlincoln.bsky.social , @mediatingmimi.bsky.social Jessica Fargen Walsh) here in Journalism Practice reflects on the intense labor of being the only person, or one of the only people, in a rural newsroom. 1/5
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/NDMQC...
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/NDMQC...
“That s**t is Hard to Get Away from”: Working Alone in US Rural Journalism
While journalists across the globe report facing difficult labor conditions, US rural journalists face particularly acute conditions–often tasked with conducting many of the hardest tasks of journa...
www.tandfonline.com
December 18, 2024 at 12:44 PM
🚨NEW PUBLICATION🚨Our US rural journalism team ( @ljlincoln.bsky.social , @mediatingmimi.bsky.social Jessica Fargen Walsh) here in Journalism Practice reflects on the intense labor of being the only person, or one of the only people, in a rural newsroom. 1/5
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/NDMQC...
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/NDMQC...
Out of office is on for the Christmas break - the dog clearly got the memo about how I'd like the next few days to look! 😴
December 19, 2024 at 6:52 AM
Out of office is on for the Christmas break - the dog clearly got the memo about how I'd like the next few days to look! 😴
Despite living close to Lichfield Cathedral for my whole life, it is easy to forget just how stunning it is architecturally inside and out, so it was great to visit last night.
Whether you're religious or not, it's a powerful place (even if you do get a stiff neck looking up at all the details!).
Whether you're religious or not, it's a powerful place (even if you do get a stiff neck looking up at all the details!).
December 18, 2024 at 1:39 PM
Despite living close to Lichfield Cathedral for my whole life, it is easy to forget just how stunning it is architecturally inside and out, so it was great to visit last night.
Whether you're religious or not, it's a powerful place (even if you do get a stiff neck looking up at all the details!).
Whether you're religious or not, it's a powerful place (even if you do get a stiff neck looking up at all the details!).
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
"We must support and protect a diversity of voices in the news industry so journalists can continue reporting stories critical to their local communities and our democracy," Juanita Islas writes.
Journalists keep getting harassed
"Journalists have been dehumanized and treated as enemies when they are truly in service of society, shining a light on what is happening in the world around us."
buff.ly
December 18, 2024 at 1:01 PM
"We must support and protect a diversity of voices in the news industry so journalists can continue reporting stories critical to their local communities and our democracy," Juanita Islas writes.
Plenty are having a say on the local government shake-up plans, but from a journalism perspective there does need to be assurances that localised accountability and transparency will remain. County councils tend to deal very much in breadth, whereas readers want local detail that matters to them
MP says "local government isn't always delivering" as plans are unveiled which could see Lichfield District Council axed - Lichfield Live®
Measures which could see Lichfield District Council abolished must ensure local communities still have a strong voice to protect their identities, an MP has said.
lichfieldlive.co.uk
December 18, 2024 at 10:42 AM
Plenty are having a say on the local government shake-up plans, but from a journalism perspective there does need to be assurances that localised accountability and transparency will remain. County councils tend to deal very much in breadth, whereas readers want local detail that matters to them
Light show at Lichfield Cathedral - it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas 🎄
December 17, 2024 at 7:02 PM
Light show at Lichfield Cathedral - it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas 🎄
Final class of the semester this morning is being used as a bridge to their next modules in the new year.
Great work is being done on transition into university at the outset, but there's lots to be said for "handing over" students to their next phase of learning and helping them join the dots too.
Great work is being done on transition into university at the outset, but there's lots to be said for "handing over" students to their next phase of learning and helping them join the dots too.
December 10, 2024 at 7:50 AM
Final class of the semester this morning is being used as a bridge to their next modules in the new year.
Great work is being done on transition into university at the outset, but there's lots to be said for "handing over" students to their next phase of learning and helping them join the dots too.
Great work is being done on transition into university at the outset, but there's lots to be said for "handing over" students to their next phase of learning and helping them join the dots too.
So much of this aligns with the independent media outlets who are directly tied to their communities through circumstance initially - knowing what people want to read (and will trust) is about more than merely data and stats, it's about empathy and depth of understanding 👇🏻
The future of news and the promise of community-centered journalism
In many parts of the world, journalism is in crisis. The industry faces challenges on multiple fronts, from an uncertain financial model, to declining levels of trust and growing news avoidance. The t...
ijnet.org
December 10, 2024 at 7:46 AM
So much of this aligns with the independent media outlets who are directly tied to their communities through circumstance initially - knowing what people want to read (and will trust) is about more than merely data and stats, it's about empathy and depth of understanding 👇🏻
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
For those looking to tune into support being offered to newsrooms and journalists, we created a Starter Pack of journalism support orgs. Sign up here. bsky.app/start/did:pl...
December 2, 2024 at 8:38 PM
For those looking to tune into support being offered to newsrooms and journalists, we created a Starter Pack of journalism support orgs. Sign up here. bsky.app/start/did:pl...
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
local Detroit journo Sam Robinson has words about the Axios Local approach as he launches a Substack. (@axios.com laid off 10% of staff in August.) detroitonemillion.substack.com/p/detroit-on...
December 3, 2024 at 6:12 PM
local Detroit journo Sam Robinson has words about the Axios Local approach as he launches a Substack. (@axios.com laid off 10% of staff in August.) detroitonemillion.substack.com/p/detroit-on...
Not a surprise given the way X traffic has fallen through the floor - thankfully @lichfieldlive.bsky.social had already been able to move away from reliance on it (which is a shame given Twitter was the platform which got the whole journey up and running all those years ago)
Bluesky already delivering more referral traffic than X for some publishers
A Guardian audience editor says Bluesky sent more referral traffic to the news outlet in its first week there than X has any week in 2024.
pressgazette.co.uk
November 29, 2024 at 10:33 PM
Not a surprise given the way X traffic has fallen through the floor - thankfully @lichfieldlive.bsky.social had already been able to move away from reliance on it (which is a shame given Twitter was the platform which got the whole journey up and running all those years ago)
Edition number 20. And to think I wasn't sure if a four edition trial was a good idea!
Demand on the rise, lots of inbound advertising queries and more content than we can squeeze in - local news (and newsprint) is well and truly alive.
One more to go before Christmas! 🎅🏻
Demand on the rise, lots of inbound advertising queries and more content than we can squeeze in - local news (and newsprint) is well and truly alive.
One more to go before Christmas! 🎅🏻
Another jam-packed copy of The Lichfield and Burntwood Independent is out now - details of where to pick a copy up here 👉🏻 lichfieldlive.co.uk/lbi-map/
Thanks again to all our volunteers and advertisers who continue to keep a truly local newspaper going 🗞️
Thanks again to all our volunteers and advertisers who continue to keep a truly local newspaper going 🗞️
November 29, 2024 at 11:39 AM
Edition number 20. And to think I wasn't sure if a four edition trial was a good idea!
Demand on the rise, lots of inbound advertising queries and more content than we can squeeze in - local news (and newsprint) is well and truly alive.
One more to go before Christmas! 🎅🏻
Demand on the rise, lots of inbound advertising queries and more content than we can squeeze in - local news (and newsprint) is well and truly alive.
One more to go before Christmas! 🎅🏻
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
The local newspaper where I started as a trainee reporter doesn't even exist in its own right anymore. I loved the energy of that newsroom and how much I learned in it.
It's easy to focus on the 'big' issues with the national media, but local reporting matters just as much to people's lives.
It's easy to focus on the 'big' issues with the national media, but local reporting matters just as much to people's lives.
I'm so proud of the Bylines Network for filling the gap in REAL local journalism.
Since setting up in 2020, we've increasingly helped champion local issues for public good.
I can see by our live stats that this piece is currently being read by dozens of people in Cambridge. Lovely.
Since setting up in 2020, we've increasingly helped champion local issues for public good.
I can see by our live stats that this piece is currently being read by dozens of people in Cambridge. Lovely.
The big Mill Road bridge battle – are shops in jeopardy?
The bridge closure divides Mill Road: traders fear for survival and residents debate traffic while a court battle looms
eastangliabylines.co.uk
November 28, 2024 at 11:23 AM
The local newspaper where I started as a trainee reporter doesn't even exist in its own right anymore. I loved the energy of that newsroom and how much I learned in it.
It's easy to focus on the 'big' issues with the national media, but local reporting matters just as much to people's lives.
It's easy to focus on the 'big' issues with the national media, but local reporting matters just as much to people's lives.
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
I was asked to write a short explainer about Bluesky for The Conversation - I hope I haven't done anything to annoy the more committed community members (I was an ambivalent and pretty slack early adopter). theconversation.com/what-is-blue...
What is Bluesky? Why tens of millions of people are heading for a ‘decentralised’ social media platform
With a name that invokes freedom and a clean start and a design that promises to put control back in our hands, the Bluesky platform is attracting users away from Twitter/X en masse.
theconversation.com
November 27, 2024 at 5:22 AM
I was asked to write a short explainer about Bluesky for The Conversation - I hope I haven't done anything to annoy the more committed community members (I was an ambivalent and pretty slack early adopter). theconversation.com/what-is-blue...
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
People are often surprised when I tell them this: both Twitter and Facebook/insta/threads are now specifically engineered to downgrade, hide, suppress real journalism. If this platform is different, that's a huge change
November 27, 2024 at 6:22 AM
People are often surprised when I tell them this: both Twitter and Facebook/insta/threads are now specifically engineered to downgrade, hide, suppress real journalism. If this platform is different, that's a huge change
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
November 26, 2024 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
AI companies' media deals are "pure lobbying," argues journalism professor Jeff Jarvis
the-decoder.com/ai-companies...
the-decoder.com/ai-companies...
AI companies' media deals are "pure lobbying," argues journalism professor Jeff Jarvis
Jeff Jarvis, a prominent US media critic, warns against exclusive AI partnerships between tech companies and major publishers, saying these deals shut out smaller publications and put journalism at ri...
the-decoder.com
November 25, 2024 at 7:11 PM
AI companies' media deals are "pure lobbying," argues journalism professor Jeff Jarvis
the-decoder.com/ai-companies...
the-decoder.com/ai-companies...
I don't know where she gets it from, but the girl seems to be half-decent at this Irish dancing lark!
A sixth regional Oireachtas championship title added to the collection at the weekend 🏆1️⃣
A sixth regional Oireachtas championship title added to the collection at the weekend 🏆1️⃣
November 25, 2024 at 4:00 PM
I don't know where she gets it from, but the girl seems to be half-decent at this Irish dancing lark!
A sixth regional Oireachtas championship title added to the collection at the weekend 🏆1️⃣
A sixth regional Oireachtas championship title added to the collection at the weekend 🏆1️⃣
Reposted by Ross Hawkes
The #CIPR, PR's professional body in the UK, is ceasing posting on X, because of "growing concerns over declining engagement, platform governance, and the proliferation of misinformation." Transition away to be completed "by early 2025." Bluesky presence coming
newsroom.cipr.co.uk/cipr-to-ceas...
newsroom.cipr.co.uk/cipr-to-ceas...
CIPR to cease engagement on X
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has today announced it will cease active posting on X (formerly Twitter), citing growing concerns over declining engagement, platform governance, and...
newsroom.cipr.co.uk
November 25, 2024 at 10:42 AM
The #CIPR, PR's professional body in the UK, is ceasing posting on X, because of "growing concerns over declining engagement, platform governance, and the proliferation of misinformation." Transition away to be completed "by early 2025." Bluesky presence coming
newsroom.cipr.co.uk/cipr-to-ceas...
newsroom.cipr.co.uk/cipr-to-ceas...
Time to spend the day going through the whole report , but Baroness Stowell is right:
"The general narrative about the future of news is one of managed decline. That needs to change. We need decisive action from the Government, and soon, to put the right legal and competition framework in place."
"The general narrative about the future of news is one of managed decline. That needs to change. We need decisive action from the Government, and soon, to put the right legal and competition framework in place."
Fracturing news environment risks a “grim” future for UK - Committees - UK Parliament
The Communications and Digital Committee publishes its report 'The future of news'.
committees.parliament.uk
November 25, 2024 at 8:59 AM
Time to spend the day going through the whole report , but Baroness Stowell is right:
"The general narrative about the future of news is one of managed decline. That needs to change. We need decisive action from the Government, and soon, to put the right legal and competition framework in place."
"The general narrative about the future of news is one of managed decline. That needs to change. We need decisive action from the Government, and soon, to put the right legal and competition framework in place."