The story of a young journalist backpacking around Scotland in order to get closer to her readers is an indication of just how much the task of news-gathering has changed in just a few decades since the introduction of the internet, social media, and now artificial intelligence.
The reason she feels she has to do this points to why traditional media is facing so many difficulties in the third decade of the 21st Century.
The Scotsman’s Rural Affairs Correspondent, Katharine Hay says she grew tired of reporting on stories from a desk in Edinburgh.
“I wanted to change my approach to gathering news and storytelling. I wanted to try doing journalism in a different way,” Ms Hay (pictured) said.
“Setting out on foot to gather stories isn’t anything new, but in the world of artificial intelligence-generated content and with home-working taking more of a hold, it just felt right to do the opposite.”
Ms Hay has realised what reporters of a different generation knew instinctively – that the best stories can be found by going out into the communities where they are generated.
In less hectic times journalists could afford the time to pick up scraps of information from fellow patrons in a pub, or from a chance meeting in the street that could lead to front-page stories.
They became so well known in their communities that even walking out to get a coffee could result in them running into a potential lead.
Savage cut-backs in staff have all too often left today’s journalists anchored to the office, ploughing through press releases, or trawling social media in the hope that a tweet or a Facebook posting can be developed into something newsworthy.
While this is a legitimate form of newsgathering in the technological age, it often means the journalist is only reacting to information controlled by the source.
It has also led to deteriorating relationships with councils, courts and the police as the media people now longer have the resources to develop relationships that come with the daily and often informal contacts that were the practice in earlier times.
Ms Hay has the full backing of The Scotsman’s editor, Neil McIntosh who says her initiative is already bringing previously-unheard stories to life.
“She is opening up communities which will be new to so many of our readers around Scotland, and the world,” Mr McIntosh said.
Full credit to The Scotsman for allowing Ms Hay six months to revive the once universal practice of beat reporting, but in these difficult times it is hard to see this as anything more than an anomaly that few others will have the ability, or the inclination, to follow.
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