Local Knowledge and Epistemic Authority in Entrepreneurial Journalism

Abstract

This article contributes to broadening the understanding of journalistic authority by focusing on the example of local journalism startups in the UK, on the basis of in-depth interviews. The research suggests that for local journalism entrepreneurs, the establishment and maintenance of journalistic authority relies heavily on claims to knowledge of the local context and relationships of co-presence with the local community. As such, the epistemic foundations of the authority of local journalism entrepreneurs are particular to this form of journalistic practice, and closely linked to distinctive self-understandings. For these journalists, the relationship to the local is premised on a strong affective attachment to the material spaces of their communities, and the relationships and networks they have built within them. The paper proposes that the authority of local journalism entrepreneurs is premised on their witnessing in the context of co-presence. The long-standing presence of these journalists, and their resulting visibility and accountability, form the basis for the trust vested in them by their communities.