Data reveals big increase in Manchester’s empty properties
A recent Freedom of Information request has unearthed new figures which show that the number of empty properties in Manchester has topped 9,000. In my previous blog post, the question of how many...
View ArticleCrain’s Manchester and Salford Star: Counting the cost of getting up people’s...
It was sad, but perhaps not that surprising, to hear that Crain’s has finished its Manchester publication. Sad, because it brought along with a specialised in-depth printed product, a decent website,...
View ArticleCouncil coverage in local newspapers: Update
The project I started in an attempt to benchmark the current state of play for the reporting of local councils has been running for a few months now, so it seemed timely to give an update. I decided...
View ArticleOoops! I’ve been censored
Now I know what it feels like to be moderated. And it feels strange. In many years of commenting on blogs and websites, I don’t think I’ve ever fallen foul of someone’s social media policy. I could...
View ArticleTameside Council’s Twitter response
As I’ve blogged at The Guardian today, Tameside Council has started an ‘accreditation’ system for professional journalists who apply to tweet from council meetings. In the interests of transparency,...
View ArticleRadio show features blogger’s Twitter ban
The case of the blogger who’s been excluded from reporting live from Tameside Council has now been the focus of local radio attention. Tameside Radio featured the case of Liam Billington (TamesideEye),...
View ArticleThe downward slide of local government advertising spend
It’s only one council (Manchester) but the direction of travel is clear. Figures revealed under the Freedom of Information Act show the extent of the drop in council spending on advertising in...
View ArticleHyperlocal first for The Met and other Local Gov Camp media stories
Yesterday I was fortunate to attend the Local Government Camp in Birmingham – an unconference for people working in councils across the UK. It was a thoughtful and idea-provoking event which covered...
View ArticleMy week: Picture posting on Picfair and more on filming councils
Sarah Hartley I’ve enjoyed playing around with the beta version of picture licensing site – Picfair this week. Created by former Guardian colleague Benji Lanyado, the idea is that the copyright holder...
View ArticleMy week – councils on camera and foodies on apps
Yes, it’s been another week where the right to film council meetings has dominated my blogging activity. It’s time now to consider the different styles of filming that I could adopt. I’m thinking of...
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