Manchester Evening News tweets from the councils - North West Media News

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Manchester Evening News tweets from the councils

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Tuesday, 22 December 2009

A new initiative from the Manchester Evening News will see journalists using Twitter to report from full council meetings around Greater Manchester.

Manchester Evening News tweets from the councils

The tweets will be compiled with CoveritLive technology as trialled at a number of publishers across the region. Readers will be able to follow the meetings with live updates via Twitter or the MEN website.

So far, journalists have reported back on sessions at Manchester, Bury and Trafford councils as well as meetings of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities and the Greater Manchester Police Authority.

MEN Media says it aims to include all 10 local authorities next year.

The development is a stark contrast to plans over in Liverpool, where the Press Association announced plans of a pilot scheme to cover some local authority services for the Trinity Mirror’s Merseyside titles.

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Comments (1)

1 By C P Scott, on 22-12-2009 11:42
Yeah, yeah, yeah....great. But as for getting a coherent, verbatim and accurate account of what's been said, and by whom, forget it. This tweeting business is a gimmick driven by a desperate and transient need on the part of the MEN to be seen to be current, and it is ultimately worthless. While their long-suffering reporters are squinting at the keyboard of their mobile, councillor x or y is saying or doing something significant and it goes unnoticed - you can take a shorthand note of what is said, as it is said, or you can tweet - you can't do both. Take this excerpt from the MEN's Coveritlive coverage of the police authority meeting when a senior police officer was talking about a particular incident. The tweet said;
"The chief gives detailed and impassioned briefing on the tragedy";
Fine, but we learn nothing of what was actually said. The MEN long ago abandoned any committment to meaningful coverage of the town halls and other public meetings, and this is just a technological fig-leaf to cover their shame. Put a note in your diary for 12 months hence and see how much tweeting they're doing then from council meetings. The most nauseating part of this civic pantomime is that a cheap and effective way of delivering coverage of all council meetings has existed for a long time - live web streaming. It's cheap, low maintenance and once set up can be all but left to look after itself. Parliament has been doing the equivalent for years now - who'd have thought THAT would happen. But most councils are mystifyingly disinclined to put cameras in the council chambers and meeting rooms during what are otherwise open and public proceedings. You have to wonder why, don't you?? The technology is cheap and most people are web savvy. You would be able to watch the policy and resource committee proceedings or whatever from the comfort of your armchair. Why is it not being done? Any how-doers care to enlighten us? Don't say "cost" - money's not a problem in the town hall, whatever they say. All that's lacking is the political will.

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