Actor and local news champion Michael Sheen will be taking part in a video debate on the future of local news this Thursday

The event is the culmination of work carried out by the Bureau Local as part of its Change the Story project.

The project’s stated aim has been to ‘reimagine local news in the UK so that it can be more relevant and constructive for under-represented communities.’

Last week saw conversations online under the banner of News You Can Use.

Rachel Hamada, Community Organiser for the Bureau explained the thinking behind the project.

“If local news is to survive and build public trust, it needs to be collaborative rather than competitive, relevant to the daily lives and concerns of a wider range of people, and useful – in giving people, community groups and the rest of civic society the tools or evidence to hold local decision makers to account.

“We decided to launch a fortnight of online events under the banner of News You Can Use. Find out more about these and how you can get involved below.

“We’ve just finished the first week of our Twitter Q&A exploring topics ranging from the portrayal of Black British communities in local media to representations of young people and the impact of positive news in community and neighbourhood building. 

“Everyone we’ve spoken to has been a great “critical friend” – holding journalism and journalists to account. Journalists are in a position of privilege, so it’s right that we listen and change.”

This week the conversations on the Bureau Local’s Twitter page will include Rhiannon White in Cardiff on class and media representation and Nicola Browne in Belfast on Wednesday on human and social rights in the media.

The culmination of the fortnight will be on Thursday 25 June, when the Bureau will publish a collection of open resources as well as findings from in-depth interviews with people across the UK who the Bureau say are underrepresented by local news.

In the afternoon the Bureau will host its video panel discussion, titled  ‘What Is News You Can Use?’ with actor and local news champion Michael Sheen, BBC gender and identity correspondent Megha Mohan and data editor and host of the North in Numbers podcast Annie Gouk. Sign up here.

Image courtesy of The Guardian