Community Newspapers

"One cannot unite a community without a newspaper or journal of some kind" - Gandhi
 
Creating a community newsletter or newspaper can be a very real way of taking control over the way an area and its residents are perceived. It can counter the negative stereotyping often perpetuated by local newspapers, and reflect the real successes and aspirations of a community, and laying the foundations for positive actions.
 
Community papers thrive on news items that are often too trivial for a local paper but have a great impact on individuals. They also help overcome a common problem where traditional 'local' papers ignore the finer points of local life because they have been bought up by multinational companies interested only in advertising revenue
 
Portsmouth Community Newspapers
Although Portsmouth has its own evening paper, serious money has been invested in community papers by the city council and via regeneration schemes across the city.
 
As a result three community papers are now run by MAST (Media Access Support & Training) from John Pounds Healthy Living Centre in Portsea and serve different parts of the local area. The Portsea Post, the Buckland Bugle and the Landport & Fratton Talk have overcome local obstacles and have created real interactivity and community in the areas they cover.
 
Everyone is welcome to take part and to contribute to the papers and after three years the papers all have a strong local ownership and the trust of the community.
 
As an example of the positive effect such a publication can have, one edition was devoted to examining all the planning applications that had been made for the area after local people became uneasy about the presence of men with clipboards. Several months later local people were still saying that that explanation had done more to set their minds at rest than any official explanations. For more information contact MAST at the John Pounds Healthy Living Centre, St. James' Street, Portsea PO1 3AP. Tel: (023) 9289 2021 or email: community_news2002@yahoo.co.uk