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Finally: Boston getting a news outlet unlike all the other news outlets
By adamg on Mon, 02/07/2022 - 1:05pm
Dan Kennedy reports some group called City Cast is assembling a three-person team to create "a daily podcast and newsletter" that promises to be "the passionate, curious, connecting voice of your city and mine," unlike all the dull, plodding disconnected media outlets Boston already has, not to mention the ones it's getting.
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Comments
OK, Kennedy raises a good question
This newest shiny thing seems to be aimed at young tech workers who don't yet have any particular connection to the city they're moving into (sort of like the person the Globe found who refuses to ask for "frappes"), just like the other startups, which perhaps raises the question of whether the existing media outlets could be doing more to attract that crowd.
But this new thing starts with the declaration that "where local news is sparse or feeble, communities suffer," which is true as far as it goes, but how much reporting is it going to do from, say, Mattapan or even Allston/Brighton - a community of 70,000 people with massive, massive development that has no dedicated news outlet?
Allston is not a total news desert
We do have the Allston Rat City Twitter feed.
And a great feed it is
But an area of 70,000 people deserves far more coverage.
No coverage?
Someone doesn't read the Bulletin.
Sure, they cover a wide area, but part of that wide area is Allston-Brighton, which means that even I keep up with development issues over while reading what I like to think of as a Roslindale newspaper.
As long as there is at least
As long as there is at least one non-Boston Herald outlet that reports on the current status of vaccines mandates in Boston.
Quality is not free
You want good news? Then pay for it!
Makes me miss NNN (BNN News)
The Boston Neighborhood Network BNN recently canceled their excellent news program when Chris Lovett resigned. It's too bad because unlike all these startups, Chris was a guy who knew the city extremely well -- and not just a few wealthy neighborhoods.
The format of NNN wasn't fast. It was 5-10 minutes of hard news and 20 minutes of interviews with local leaders. But the interviews were interesting or at least applicable to people who live in those neighborhoods. A good amount of local arts coverage too.
None of these startups will cover politics beyond whatever the Mayor is doing and maybe a Twitter spat between a councilor and some national figure. None of them will interview some local arts or community group.
NNN was a good companion to UHub. (UHub minus the french toast.)
"Delightful"?
"It will combine essential local news with smart, delightful perspective about your community. It will be the passionate, curious, connecting voice of your city and mine — framing and explaining the news and helping make us more informed and more empathetic — and better citizens in small but meaningful ways. "
Could they possibly, I mean POSSIBLY have crammed more meaningless, empty buzzwords into one statement? Is the news really supposed to be "delightful"? And why settle for being a better citizen in a "small" but "meaningful" way? Can't we be better citizens in a big way if we want?
Oh, hush
I'm sure they'll have an in-depth broadcast where they compare ALL the Cafe Neros to find the VERY BEST in the city of BOSTON. (Spoiler, it was in Porter Sq.)
three people..
to plan, research, and produce a podcast and newsletter every single day?
more news outlets don't necessarily mean better or even accurate news...
That is a stretch
Still, more reasonably accurate news sources means less people will rely on horribly inaccurate social media for their news.
Yeah
Good reporting is always needed. But what might be even more helpful is less "daily update" news and more longer investigative stuff. There's really a lack of people who spend weeks working on a story, digging through archives, tracking down people, etc.
That type of journalism is time consuming and expensive. And if you uncover something big and import, a lot of people will skip your direct work and just read the summery from the Globe or UHub.
So...like UHub without Adam?
Sounds dreadful.