Are Local Democracy Reporters losing out?

In our ever changing world, where digital sources now provide the bulk of our news, it’s fair to say that the world of journalism is changing considerably. Most of us expect news to be at our fingertips, 24 hours a day.

Local Democracy Reporters, often referred to as LDRs, play an important role in creating the national news picture, and principally report on local matters, such as schools, housing, planning and court matters. While they’re funded by the BBC, they are often employed by local news companies.

Budding journalists can pursue a career in this ever changing field by studying for a journalism degree, such as those offered by https://schoolofjournalism.co.uk/.

Pay Gap

However, it could be argued that many LDRs are actually losing out financially, because they are receiving a lower salary than the BBC has earmarked for them. In fact, it would seem that the BBC allocates around £37,000 for each LDR per year, but they are only receiving a mean salary of £24,000.

Furthermore, one of the local employers, Newsquest, only gave its journalists a pay rise of 1.5% in the most recent financial year, refusing to increase this further.

It has been explained that this money is being held back by local news companies for business costs.

Increasing Pressure

The National Union of Journalists – the NUJ – has highlighted the unfairness of the pay gap.

The NUJ also urges local news companies not to hold this money back which should be destined for the journalists to keep.