Local Democracy Reporters Conference Next Week

A new conference to highlight the best local public interest journalism produced by Local Democracy Reporters since the launch of the Local News Partnership will be held in Salford next Tuesday. 

The BBC, working with local publishers and the News Media Association, is to hold the Local Democracy Reporter Awards during a one-day conference at the BBC’s MediaCity base attended by many of the reporters.

Matthew Barraclough, the BBC’s head of the Local News Partnerships, said: “This is the first opportunity to gather Local Democracy Reporters from all parts of the UK in one place, and an awards ceremony is the perfect way to celebrate their achievements and focus on the really important journalism they’re producing every day”.

Jeremy Clifford, who chairs the joint NMA/BBC Advisory Panel that oversees the running of the partnership, said: “This is a great opportunity to celebrate the success of this scheme and the fantastic work the reporters have been involved in since it began.

“The conference will bring together all the reporters for the first time in an environment where we can share successes and come up with great new ideas. The awards will recognise what this scheme has achieved individually and collectively.”

The conference will be livestreamed on the Behind Local News website.