We should value the work of amateur journalists and photographers who record and publish community activities that are no longer covered by a shrinking local press.
I’m a big supporter of museums, especially the Surrey Heath Museum. As custodians of items of historic and cultural value, they’re an important educational and leisure resource, giving context to the past of Surrey Heath.
I often see researchers in the museum scouring the content of old newspapers. With newspapers now less able to record significant local community events, through media fragmentation, there’s an increasing need for the amateur recorder to fill the void.
I’m not sure the word amateur is the right word to describe the exploits of Paul Deach, or the likes of Alan Meeks of the Windlesham & Camberley Camera Club, to be the ones to fill the void. A better term to describe them is possibly citizen journalist.
In the photo is Paul Deach, founder of the Surrey Heath Residents Blog, and me. It was taken while Paul was videoing the opening of the Surrey Heath Museum exhibition on Nepali Connections. This was a significant local cultural event, celebrating the local Nepalese population, both first and second generations. The local press didn’t cover the event, but Paul Deach did. That’s my point. I’ll make sure that Paul’s entire video of the event is added to the Museum collection. Otherwise, they’ll be no record for future researchers.
Now you might consider this an excuse to show a photo of me with a garland of flowers. I couldn’t possibly comment. Although, I will say that it was one of the most memorable and pleasing events of our mayoral year.
Reblogged this on Paul Deach and commented:
Tim Dodds published this blog on his most excellent Lightwater blog.
Tim and I have become good mates over the years. We share a love of history, the military and good old fashioned community spirit.
Tim was blogging long before I and his web site has been formally recognised in nominations for web awards.
He makes a valuable point in this blog. My own view is that local papers as we know them might be in an irreversible decline. They don’t have the budgets of the national papers like the Times and so can’t invest in the development of apps and paid for web content.
Hail the HyperLocal
By: deachy on June 28, 2012
at 9:53 pm