Sooner or later we’ll be allowed to video what’s happening in the council chamber and show it on onlinefocus!
The government is going to make councils across the country become more open towards bloggers.
This idea has cross-party support – for example, the Guardian writes about it here.
The Conservative Party’s own website says:
Local Government Minister Bob Neill has written to all councils urging greater openness and calling on them to adopt a modern day approach so that credible community or ‘hyper-local’ bloggers and online broadcasters get the same routine access to council meetings as the traditional accredited media have….
…..Opening the door to new media costs nothing and will help improve public scrutiny. The greater powers and freedoms that we are giving local councils must be accompanied by stronger local accountability. We are in the digital age and this analogue interpretation of the press access rules is holding back a new wave of local scrutiny, accountability and armchair auditors.”
The decision by the Department for Communities and Local Government has been praised by Chris Taggart, of OpenlyLocal.com, which has long championed the need to open council business up to public scrutiny, who added:
“In a world where hi-definition video cameras are under ?100 and hyperlocal bloggers are doing some of the best council reporting in the country, it is crazy that councils are prohibiting members of the public from videoing, tweeting and live-blogging their meetings.”
Whether we will actually want to video many meetings is unlikely – but from time to time it might be worth doing.
Am I the only stoneage neanderthal wonderings what a “hyperlocal” blogger is? McMillans dictionary states “adjective: relating to a very specific and often small community or geographical area”. So are we becoming Rochford Hyperlocal District? If so, I look forward to it. Bring it on!
Well, I’m not exactly sure what a hyperlocal blogger is either. But I guess that if the Echo is our local newspaper , then the Echo website is a local newsblog. Any newsblog covering a smaller area might be called a hyperlocal blog…
I am in favour of this providing the bloggers are informed of libel laws, it does not disrupt proceedings and or members of the public. I think any filming should have the consent of the members of the public present.
If these issues are addressed and I think they easily could be. It would work very well and hopefully make council business more accessible and interesting for members of the public.