How local newsrooms are adapting to a digital environment?

The latest report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism examines how local news organisations in Europe are adapting to an increasingly digital, mobile, and platform-dominated environment. The report titled The Digital Transition of Local News is based on 48 interviews with editorial and commercial staff at newspapers and their parent companies in the UK, Germany, France, and Finland, and outlines the changes they are making to operate more effectively in an increasingly digital environment.

Some of the report’s key findings include: i) Local and regional news organisations are investing in a digital future, including introduction of digital first newsrooms and adaptation to audience needs. ii) Local media groups are experimenting with revenue generation, including implementing pay-walls or paid subscriptions, events, members clubs and e-commerce. iii) Like many news organisations, local and regional outlets compete for advertising with platform companies such as Google and Facebook, but also rely on these companies to reach online audiences. iv) Pace of change varies between countries, but all news organisations in the sample still focus on their print product for revenues, while acknowledging the need to transition to digital.