Reporters in the service of the countryside

The project consisted of utilizing local power and knowledge in media reporting to make journalism even closer and more relevant to readers. Kristianstadsbladet has in the project given citizens in the countryside an opportunity to shape the image of their locality in the media by being hired as local correspondents.

In the past, there were so-called local correspondents, a kind of local correspondents who reported what happened in the villages. They do not exist today. At the same time, social media has emerged as a source of information for many people. It is easier to absorb new information and express one's opinion, but a lot is also written that is not true in alternative media. In the project Reporters in the Service of Rural Areas, efforts will therefore be made to better highlight the countryside in Kristianstad municipality and reach old and new reader groups with even more relevant journalism.

Five editorial councils will be established in Arkelstorp (Oppmanna-Vånga district), Tollarp (the surrounding area and Linderöd, Djurröd-Träne), Degeberga (and surrounding areas up to Everöd and down to Maglehem), Önnestad (essentially the parish of Araslöv) and Fjälkinge (and surrounding areas). The councils will be educated in, among other things, press ethical principles to then deliver about three news items per week. New tabs will be established for each geographic area on Kristianstadsbladet's website. The editorial councils will also create a supplement about their locality that is distributed throughout the publishing area twice a year. Fees will be paid according to agreement.

Information meetings are organized to find members from local businesses, associations, and individuals: knowledgeable people who are passionate about telling about their locality and who get the opportunity to influence the image that is conveyed. Fees will be paid according to agreement to writers.

When the two-year project is over, the long-term goal is to continue the operation through the established collaboration between the newspaper and the editorial councils.

In the project, about 20 local reporters have received professional development in journalism and photo techniques. Articles and pictures initiated by local correspondents, with guidance from the project leader, have been produced and then published in Kristianstadsbladet's various channels. In the final report, this is described as a win-win, where the newspaper has assisted with knowledge about press ethical rules and platforms to reach out, and where citizens in the countryside have been given the opportunity to shape the image of their locality.

During the project period, 400 articles have been written and special local supplements have been produced. The network that has been built remains, and the project leader is still engaged in local reporting. The project has highlighted issues in the countryside of Kristianstad municipality that would not have been addressed otherwise.

In the final report, the recipient of the support states that they have followed the project plan and carried out the activities specified therein. Gained experiences have resulted in knowledge in the area that they can use in their continued work, and it is described how the work will continue in the future. Local correspondents have become profiles in their respective villages. Tips to the newspaper have increased, and during the project period, the number of readers has grown.

Initially, the project was questioned by the Journalist Association. In the final report, it is stated: ”They expressed a fear that the project would undermine the market for freelancers. However, this criticism was not difficult to address. Lukas Ernryd spoke with the chairman of the Journalist Association, Jonas Nordling, and conveyed that there are no freelancers active in the areas where we are conducting the initiative, and no freelancers could make a living from the type of articles that local correspondents write. The market is too small. Furthermore, external freelancers do not have the knowledge to find the stories that local correspondents have. Local correspondents also have a different incentive to write them. They want to depict their region and their village – that is why the stories are found.”

In many respects, this is a very successful project that has gained wide dissemination and has made a significant impact both nationally and locally. The project is one of two projects nominated for the ”Rural Inspiration Awards” at ERND from Sweden 2019.

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The project creates conditions for new interesting cross-connections and strengthens the area's identity, both locally and by making visible regions that have previously been in a certain media shadow. The project provides an opportunity for more people to engage in information and news dissemination from what happens and occurs locally. LAG places great importance on the project being carried out in close collaboration with local development groups and businesses, and that the result of the project does not lead to local editorial offices being closed down, which LAG closely monitors. LAG also requires that a LAG member be included in the steering group for the project. LAG also wants a report of its own contribution during the project period and that a method for evaluation is determined at the beginning of the project.