Yesterday, some of our stories looked broken. Words were missing, details were hidden, and sentences that should have helped explain what was happening in Bedford had gaps in them.
Some readers understood straight away what we were doing. Some supported it, and some were, quite understandably, irritated by it.
I also suspect a silent majority simply found it annoying.
Good.
That was the point.
Half the story
The redactions across the Bedford Independent and Bedford Clanger were not a gimmick for the sake of it.
Read: Bedford Independent and Bedford Clanger redact stories to warn “no news is bad news”
They were part of Indie News Week, a national campaign organised by the Public Interest News Foundation under the banner “No News is Bad News”.
While the articles will be unredacted today, just for one day, we wanted readers to feel what it is like to have information missing.
Not because it is behind political spin, or a rumour had filled a gap. Not because someone on social media had decided to post half a story and leave the rest to imagination.
But because the journalism itself was not there.
That is what communities face when local news disappears. They get press releases repeated without scrutiny and arguments shaped by people with their own agendas.
They get half the story.
Annoying? Yes
I understand why yesterday annoyed people. Trust me when I say it annoyed me, too.
I had to analyse each story and ensure the words chosen for redaction would not cause legal issues, and I had to go against my commitment as an accredited ethical journalist to make sure our content leaves our readers with more answers than questions.
Read: Bedford Independent editor among first accredited ethical journalists in UK
Nobody likes clicking on a story and finding parts of it blocked out or being interrupted while trying to read something useful. Nobody wants to feel as though a publication they trust is deliberately making life harder.
But for one day, that inconvenience had a purpose. To show that we all take free-to-read local news for granted.
We assume that someone will sit through the council meeting and then ask awkward questions. That someone will check a claim and sift through pages and pages of reports to find the truth.
That someone will speak to the community group, the charity, the shop owner, the sports club, the grieving family, the campaigner, the councillor, the police, the hospital, the school.
That someone will make sure Bedford is not left relying on rumour and Facebook comments from those with limited interest in the truth or, worse still, an agenda to deceive.
But that “someone” only exists if local journalism exists.
What you’re supporting
When people talk about the loss of local news, they often imagine the obvious things first. No court reports, no council scrutiny, no investigations. No articles about potholes and politics.
That is true, and while those issues matter deeply, they are just a tiny part of the whole picture.
By supporting local news, you’re helping us tell the small stories that shape communities. The new business opening. The school achievement. The charity fundraiser. The artist launching an exhibition.
The band playing its first local gig. The grassroots football team. The match report moments after the final whistle. The theatre review. The everyday hero who deserves a bit of public recognition.
Without local news we lose the record of ourselves. We lose a record of what makes us Bedfordians.
That is what the Bedford Independent and Bedford Clanger try to protect. The serious, the joyful, the uncomfortable, the useful, and the proudly local.
Under pressure
Independent local journalism is under pressure everywhere.
The Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) has warned that millions of people in the UK now live in ‘news deserts’ without access to consistent, independent local journalism.
The East of England, which includes Bedford, sits below the national average for local news provision.
PINF’s research shows 4.4 million people in the UK have no access to consistent, independent local journalism.
Amongst that, the East of England has just 1.75 outlets per 100,000 residents, 25% below the national average.
The Government’s own Local Media Action Plan says up to 37 local authority districts now have no dedicated print, online, TV or radio outlet, leaving millions in local “news deserts”, and that 10% of adults in England were not aware of a local news provider in their area.
Those are not statistics to be sniffed at. These are proof of what “no news” looks like.
When trusted local reporting thins out or disappears, communities become easier to mislead. Councils and public bodies face less scrutiny, and local democracy weakens.
People become less informed about decisions that affect schools, roads, planning, healthcare, policing, culture and community life.
And once a local newsroom is gone, it is incredibly hard to rebuild.
Read: DCMS Committee warns Government must act to halt decline of local journalism
Good signs
There are, thankfully, some positive signs.
The Government’s Local Media Action Plan recognises that local journalism matters and sets out a vision for a more sustainable future.
It talks about trustworthy local information, community cohesion, local growth, and helping local media adapt in a changing digital world.
I welcome that recognition and the role Progress Publishing (the people behind this publication and the Bedford Clanger) is playing in shaping the conversation about the support responsible local news publishers need.
Earlier this year, I was in Westminster with other independent publishers, PINF and MPs, discussing news deserts and the future of local journalism.
Read: Bedford Independent meets MPs in Westminster to discuss future of local journalism
Bedford and Kempston MP Mohammad Yasin (Labour) backed calls for proper support, including an arm’s-length local news fund.
We are grateful to him and others of all parties who have recognised this need for support.
But recognition is not enough.
Warm words will not keep reporters in council chambers. Action plans will not pay for court reporting, sports coverage, event listings, investigations, public interest campaigns, or the daily work of checking what is true.
Reader power
This is where you, our readers, come in.
Local journalism cannot survive on goodwill alone. Goodwill matters, of course, but habits and actions matter more.
Every time you read a story directly on our website rather than only reacting to a Facebook post, it helps.
Every time you sign up for our daily email, it helps us build a direct relationship with you, instead of depending on algorithms owned by overseas tech companies.
Every time you share our work, become a patron, donate, advertise, send us a tip, or simply tell someone why local news matters, it helps.
Read: How to grow your business with the Bedford Independent and Bedford Clanger
That is not begging; it is being honest about how responsible public-interest local journalism is sustained.
We keep the Bedford Independent and Bedford Clanger free to read because we believe access to local news should not depend on the ability to pay.
But free to read does not mean free to produce.
Read: What is a local news patron and how do I become one?
Thank goodness
So yes, yesterday’s redactions were annoying. But thank goodness there is still a local newspaper here to make that point.
Thank goodness Bedford has journalists, editors, photographers, contributors, columnists, designers, volunteers, readers, patrons, advertisers and supporters who care enough to keep this going.
Thank goodness we can still show you what it feels like to be missing information for one day, rather than asking you to live with it permanently.
Because Bedford without responsible local news is not quieter in a good way. It is not calmer, and it is not better informed.
Read: Fake news vs real news: How to identify trustworthy journalism
No news
The “No News is Bad News” message is not an exaggeration; it is a warning.
If you found the redactions frustrating, hold on to that feeling.
That frustration is what communities feel when public bodies are not scrutinised, when rumours replace facts, when culture goes unrecorded, when sport disappears from view, when local voices are drowned out by national noise or biased publications owned by bad actors.
Now imagine that not for one day, but every day.
That is what we are fighting against.
The redactions are gone, but the point remains.
If you value local journalism, support it, read it, share it, and please consider backing it by subscribing to our daily email or making a donation.
If you’re a business, advertise on our pages or become a patron.
I am sure you agree that Bedford would be worse off without publications like the Bedford Independent and Bedford Clanger, and yesterday was a small reminder of just how much we all stand to lose.
