This award is primarily aimed at those often hard pressed newspapers which serve the hyper local needs of communities, both inside Belfast and far beyond its bounds. At the beginning of the Troubles, some forty years ago, there were more than fifty of them, and they provided the real news for the bigger regional and national titles. It is no coincidence that the decline of local news has been concomitant with the hollowing out of the national press.Its the place where people read about the future plans of large corporate and council plans for the redevelopment of old town centres. And its meat and drink to a representative democracy in which communication with constituents never just one way. This category relies more than most on what you can tell us about your candidate, and why you think it deserves to win this award?
With your nominations, please try to include:
1. How your paper brings people closer to local government, and helps hold it to account?
2. Tell us some of its biggest achievements/stories in the last 12 months?
3. What you believe makes a good local paper?
You can make your nominations either here or on the main Slugger site. Be as expansive as you wish, so we can make the best pitch possible to both the reader and judges panels who may not be as familiar as you with your favoured candidate.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty