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Local News Maters


Sports reporter James Roberts, currently furloughed, looks at how the Oxford Mail has covered Covid-19.


D


uring the lockdown, our local journalists have gone the extra mile to keep us informed about how the virus and the


lockdown are affecting all aspects of our lives, and how we can best protect our own health and well- being and support one another. Oxford Mail reporters have been


the go-to source of coronavirus news for thousands of people. In the face of a much-changed working environment, reporters have addressed the key issues, holding


health chiefs and the government to account with concise, quality stories. A pandemic in the social media


age results in a sea of rumours and speculation, but the Mail has brought readers the key facts and figures. Te wider public health implications have been addressed, from a fall in visits to A&E departments at Oxfordshire’s hospitals to reassuring expectant mothers due to give birth during the pandemic. Such stories change – and save


– lives, influencing readers’ decision- making and helping reduce the strain on the NHS.


What your branch can do


Commission pieces from your members, highlighting the work colleagues on


local newspapers and radio are doing during the pandemic. Tese can be used to lobby MPs and government and explain to the public why, as key workers, we need to be able to do our job. Send your blogs to campaigns@nuj.org.uk


Te Mail has shown the value of campaigning journalism through its campaign to back local businesses, #StillOpenInOxfordshire. Reporters have highlighted small businesses going above and beyond to serve locals at a time when their very existence is in the balance. Shining a light on community institutions such as pubs illustrates how the Mail’s coverage can make a real difference to Oxfordshire


employers from all sectors. It has tapped into the human- interest stories, revealing how a


doctor had been kicked out of his accommodation by his landlady because she feared he might bring home coronavirus. Te story, writen by Local Democracy Reporter, David Lynch, made the BBC News homepage and generated countless offers of help from the public, with the doctor seting up a webpage for NHS staff with similar problems. Its coverage of the Bicester family


who took part in the first Oxford University trials of a coronavirus vaccine offered insights that can only come from professional, quality journalism. Te importance of this trustworthy, campaigning and human-interest reporting is reflected in the figures. By Tuesday, April 28, the Mail had amassed 4.35m page views for the calendar month – easily surpassing the target of 3.36 million by April 30. Te statistics only tell part of the story, but they underline how the press needs protecting so it does not just survive but thrive.


Tis is an edited version of James’ blog for the NUJ Oxford & district branch.


htps://oxfordnuj.wordpress. com/2020/05/07/local- journalists-how-they-inform-and- support-us-through-the-covid-crisis/


CAMPAIGN


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