Bristol City Council has announced it will no longer be telling news organisations in the city its news, and is adopting its own 'digital first approach' by just putting its press releases on the council's own website and social media channels.
The move was revealed to media organisations including Bristol Live in the city today (Friday, July 8), with the council saying it won't be emailing 'traditional press releases'.
Instead, the authority said it will only be posting its announcements, news releases and information on its own website and social media channels.
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In a letter to media organisations in the city, a council spokesperson said: "We wanted to let you know that Bristol City Council is taking a digital first approach to sharing news, and this includes a change in how we share our news with you. We hope that by growing our digital audiences, we will be able to reach more people with vital messages, including seldom heard groups.
"We are adopting a proactive approach on our online channels, with news stories now shared in the first instance on the BCC news website and on our social channels," they said.
In common with local authorities across the country, Bristol City Council has sent out press releases to local media, as well as publishing the press releases on its own website. Now, the council said it will only be doing the latter. "This content is unrestricted, so everyone is able to access it in real time. This change means we won’t be emailing traditional press releases, and instead you are encouraged to add our news site to your RSS feeds so you get instant alerts when news is published. We may also at times share news with media in advance such as during a media briefing, or through interviews.
"We hope this will prove a convenient and easy way to access our news, and we will of course continue to take any follow up questions and requests for interviews or comments via the Newsdesk," they added.
The change happened in the middle of this week when Bristol City Council stopped sending media organisations press releases, although one announcement, of the start date of the Clean Air Zone, made at noon on Wednesday, was shared with the BBC beforehand.
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