How We Define Community Journalism

Journalism is made with the community, not for it

The old model of sender and receiver is outdated. Journalists are no longer the gatekeepers they used to be. In community journalism, they take on new roles. They moderate the exchange in the community on an equal footing and create space for social debates in which the best arguments prevail. The audience is no longer a passive recipient of messages, but an active participant in the discourse.

The community is involved in editorial processes, research and reporting

The community is at the heart of community-centred media. The information needs of people in the community form the basis for reporting, and they contribute significantly to research with their knowledge, experience and expertise. They can contribute via various formats, provide valuable input and help decide on editorial and organisational issues. In addition, the distribution channels are orientated towards their habits.

Community Journalism builds strong relationships with a loyal community

Building trusting and close relationships with members of the community is an important goal in community journalism. Although this takes much longer than building simple buyer-seller relationships, it pays off because the foundation on which the media project is built is more stable and more reliable.

Community Journalism is impact- and solution-oriented

Community Journalism aims to improve the lives and environment of community members. Short-term attention to certain issues may be useful in one place or another, but rarely brings about real change. Community journalism should therefore not only focus on the problems that community members may have, but also look for solutions and positive visions together with them.

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