Local Democracy Reporting Service

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is an initiative in the United Kingdom funded by the BBC. The scheme pays for the employment of journalists by local independent news outlets, in order to improve the coverage of issues relating to local democracy.[1][2][3][4] Its core purpose is stated as being "to provide impartial coverage of the regular business and workings of local authorities in the UK, and other relevant democratic institutions such as mayoralties, combined authority areas, PCCs, quangos, etc."[1]

The scheme launched in 2017.[2] As of the 2021 contracting round, 165 Local Democracy Reporters (LDRs) were employed by eighteen participating organisations, ranging from large bodies including DC Thomson, Reach plc, Newsquest and the Evening Standard, to smaller outlets such as Radio Exe and Social Spider, a community interest company which publishes three north London community newspapers.[1][2][5][6]

Stories written by LDRs are pooled and can be used at no cost by over a thousand participating news organisations, including the BBC.[1][2][5][6] LDRS stories have featured on national BBC radio and television news programmes.[2] In the first four years of the scheme almost a quarter of a million stories were filed, with a peak of 1,321 in a seven-day period in September 2021.[7]

The scheme has been replicated in New Zealand and Canada.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d "Local Democracy Reporting Service". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Lock, Harry (2 November 2021). "Local Democracy Reporting Service: A model for public broadcasters?". Public Media Alliance. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Local Democracy Reporting Service". Radio Exe. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Local democracy reporters aid transparency". The Municipal Journal.
  5. ^ a b "New Local Democracy Reporting Service contract holders revealed". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b "853 and the Local Democracy Reporting Service". 853. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  7. ^ a b Linford, Paul. "Local Democracy Reporting service 'has become template" says Davie - Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage". Hold the Front Page. Retrieved 25 June 2022.