Just more links about things that we think are interesting. This was held over for a week due to extra work so sorry for the delay!
Local TV
Early last month, Jeremy Hunt announced where licenses for local TV would be available in the UK. This has sparked a lively debate about its whys and wherefores that is nicely summarised by Damian Radcliffe on this Slideshare .
While there is much enthusiasm for the idea of local content – and, I think, a consensus that the UK needs more local news – there is much disagreement over whether TV is the right way to deliver this content.
Court TV
It seems HM Government is TV obsessed at the moment – as perhaps the most startling thing to come out of the Ministry of Justice recently is news that verdicts in court cases may soon be televised. Justice secretary Ken Clarke has indicated that new legislation will be passed to make the introduction of television cameras a reality in the Court of Appeal (read here ) – with crown courts likely to be the next in line for broadcast.
This Guardian leader calls for courts judgments to be opened up – and namechecks new charity Judgmental.
Riots and social media
Our post on the way that Superintendent Mark Payne and bloggers in Wolverhampton helped keep a lid on the rumour mill (if that isn’t a mixed metaphor) with updates on Twitter and Facebook has been one of a number of posts to analyse social media’s role in the riots (or lack of role). Read Russell Webster’s thoughts on Police tweeting here .
Facebook and local government
In the last few weeks, a number of bloggers have written about the relative value (or otherwise) of using Facebook in local government, following news that Japanese city, Takeo, has made the social networking site its only home on the web. Posts here and here talk about whether/how this is a good idea (thanks to, respectively Dan Slee and Carl Haggerty). Given FB’s interest in becoming an ‘entertainment’ hub, it does seem a little strange.
Nesta’s Creative Councils
The councils who won through to the next stage of the Creative Councils bid were in Birmingham recently for the Creative Councils Camp. This helped each of the bid teams to develop their ideas, before Nesta whittles down the projects from 17 to five projects. Public-i is involved in Brighton and Hove’s bid and Catherine reports on what it was like to be at the camp here .
More 24-hour tweeting
Scottish councils did the 24-hour tweet thing – which I think might be the first ever local-government social media ‘internet meme’. This new craze, of course, was started by the folk at Greater Manchester Police. Dan Slee details the growing trend here.
