Close reader relationships make local journalists reluctant to disparage their own communities

Evidence

Local newspapers tend to have distinctive newsroom cultures shaped by closer relationships to their readers (Wahl- Jorgenson, 2009) where journalists and readers are seen to be part and parcel of a single community with common values and goals. Local journalists perceived responsibilities to the local community and local readers often translates to a more considered approach to reporting and a reluctance to sensationalise or disparage their own communities (Firmstone et al., 2022; Frost, 2006). — Nadia Haq, ‘The National Media Just Sees Muslims…, 19

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the paper’s core argument that local journalists’ social imaginaries of their audience shape coverage of Muslims, unlike national outlets.
• SEED: Angle: ‘What local newsrooms know that national desks don’t’ — proximity to readers as an antidote to sensationalised coverage of minorities.