Bureau voor Lokale Zaken (Round 3)

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Netherlands Project type: prototype Stichting Lokale Onderzoeksjournalistiek

Summary

The Bureau voor Lokale Zaken will offer a secure web-based working environment and a publishing platform for local investigative journalists. Its structure is aimed at facilitating cooperation: intraregional, but also interregional when comparable topics are subject of investigation projects. Its participants are local reporters that – at different levels of authorisation – will get access to content and that will be working together on investigation projects, jointly creating output and sharing documents and audio and/or video files. Parts of their information may be shared with consulting experts, participating citizens, and platform staff. Research methods and best practices may be mutually shared. 

The solution

Unfortunately, local and regional journalism has been diminished by financial cut backs. Sound regional investigative journalism has for a large part disappeared off the (digital) radar. The cause underlying this development is that increasingly, regional journalism is done by volunteers. But for local democracy to properly function, it is essential that independent reporters write about what is going on in the various municipalities. The Bureau wants to bring these professionals together, financially support, encourage and facilitate them.