MEN Live Blogs Council Meetings Twice a Week
Live blogs of council meetings are attracting growing audiences for the Manchester Evening News which recently launched the service.
All full meetings of the 10 local authorities in Greater Manchester – roughly two a week – are attended by a reporter from the MEN or from one of its weekly sister titles in the MEN Media stable. They post live updates onto the MEN website via mobile phone.
It is hoped reporters will soon be able to ask questions on behalf of readers who have posted comments during meetings.
Audiences have been growing since the service was launched a couple of months ago and the blogs, which are archived, are now followed by several hundred viewers.
A meeting of Manchester City Council last week saw councillors and a press officer from the council air their thoughts on the blog.
MEN head of online Paul Gallagher said: “It’s helping to further engage people who are interested in this sort of thing rather than getting mass audiences.
“It has been a really positive thing for all the people concerned; the journalists, the councillors and the readers. Everyone has been really pleased with it.
“What we are building up to is for a reader to be able to post a question on the blog and for the reporter to stand up in the meeting and say ‘Mr X in Salford would like to ask whether..’”
The live blog is also used by the Guardian Media Group title for meetings of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities and the Greater Manchester Police Authority
The most recent Greater Manchester Police Authority meeting yielded a front page splash for the evening title after chief constable Peter Fahy suggested a special court to deal with shoplifters could be set up in the local Arndale Centre.
For more information please contact Paul Sinker on 020 7632 7424 or e-mail sinkerp@newspapersoc.org.uk.