Czech Republic: local news from the coffee house

A new young generation of media makers has set out to transform the Czech market with pioneering and innovative projects like the so-called Newsroom Cafés. There, local newspapers are produced jointly by editorial staff and guests of the café. Around 150 of these cafés have been opened so far, giving a boost to local journalism.

Jan Krčmář jun., the Prague correspondent of wieninternational.at, has taken a closer look at the new Newsroom Cafés.

‘As local as possible’: this could be the motto of the project ‘Naše adresa’ (Our address) that wants to give a whole new dimension to local reporting. Local newspapers are currently being produced in a number of Czech cities with the active participation of, and in close (physical) proximity to, the readers. The project was also presented recently at the European Newspaper Congress in Vienna.

Quality journalism on the local level

‘Naše adresa’ (Our address) is a multimedia project that focuses entirely on local – or, to be more exact, ‘hyper-local’ – reporting. The stories presented in local weeklies and on websites deal with local issues – and they provide an extent of detail that other communal media do not offer. This includes information on things like planned maintenance work on water pipes and the ensuing disruptions and traffic information as well as sports results of local clubs in amateur leagues that usually go unnoticed in other media. Project initiator Roman Gallo from the PPF agency confirms that the project aims at producing quality journalism on the local level. This helps to set ‘Naše adresa’ publications apart from many national media where local offices are primarily seen as training grounds for inexperienced journalists who have little attachment to local news.

Fewer barriers between readers and journalists

The close proximity to the readers and their direct involvement in the production of the respective medium is an integral part of the project. Local associations and initiatives as well as interest groups (such as senior citizens groups) can use space both on the ‘Naše adresa’ website and in the relevant local papers and add their own content. The local newsrooms of ‘Naše adresa’ are where readers and editors ‘merge’ and the medium is closest to the consumer. These newsrooms have conveniently been set up in centrally located coffee houses, the so-called Newsroom Cafés.

Both serving staff and newspaper journalists work at the specially equipped cafés. Thus, guests can just come to eat and drink or directly talk to the editorial staff about a specific concern, an idea or an article. The editorial staff of ‘Naše adresa’ have a much more important role than at other media because they are not only journalists but also act as ‘community managers’ of sorts, connecting the local community with the (media) world. The Newsroom Cafés also serve as venues for various communal events, allowing those interested in the project to get in touch with it.

Journalism even for the youngest

Even hyper-local projects need some central coordination, and so the work of the local editorial offices is supervised by a central newsroom in Prague, the so-called Futuroom that is run by the PPF agency. For PPF ‘Naše adresa’ is just one of many projects designed to bring the media world closer to the reader and to gradually reduce the barriers between media consumers and media makers; another one is the Junioroom project where children can learn about the media world in holiday camps.