A month or so ago, we sent out a newsletter entitled: “What can The Bell do for Glasgow?”. As we explained then, we were compiling a list of promises to the city, and we wanted your input on the best places to put our energy. You didn’t let us down: over 400 of you responded, offering lots of feedback on our ideas and putting in some of your own. We listened, and the top three most voted-for pledges are all in our list.
Quite a few of you wrote that you don’t want them to distract from the work we’re already doing, which is why you’ve signed up in the first place. We’ve taken this on board, while simultaneously targeting things that can improve Glasgow and its news environment.
Several robust team meetings later, and we have our pledges, which we will commit to if we can get another 1,000 members during our campaign. Is that target a bit daunting for us? Aye, it sure is. But we also know that the demand for what we do in Glasgow is high, and we think you can help us achieve it, so why not be ambitious? More on that next week when we launch our campaign. For now, behold, our pledges:
- Nurture local talent
This was by far the most popular — clearly the difficulty of starting out in journalism is widely known! If 1,000 new paying subscribers join us, we will create internships and take on journalism students as part of their work placements, helping new-starts get into our competitive industry. Beth, Robbie, and Calum all underwent internships as part of their studies, with varying degrees of success and enjoyment. Our programme will provide budding local journalists with their first paid bylines, personal growth, contacts and experience in an industry that can feel impenetrable.
- Tackle the big issues
Our second most voted-for pledge is about shining a light on the biggest issues facing Glasgow. We’ll produce a series of accessible articles going in-depth on topics such as inequality, homelessness, drug deaths, housing, and climate. The local and national newspapers already do a great job reporting on these key issues as they happen, but we’ll commission exclusive analysis from experts, see these issues through the eyes of those on the front lines, and ensure that our coverage is accessible to everyone who may find the information useful.
- Keep Glasgow talking
Three times a year we will host a public event where topical issues are discussed, promoting good communication and lively debate in the city. Our events have all been sell-outs, and their successes has given us an epiphany: our readers, and Glaswegians more broadly, want proper, respectful debate. So often, discourse only happens online, egged on by bad-faith bots and fake news. But in a room full of people who share the same desire for Glasgow to be as good as it possibly can be, we’ve found our events to be uplifting, with problems and solutions shared passionately. If we reach our magic number of 1,000 new subscribers, we’ll do three per year and keep them affordable to boot.
- Shine a light on Glasgow’s good news
We’ll produce a monthly Good News Edition, as so many of you asked for it in our survey. We know that the news can skew negative, which can lead to a general sense of dismay at the state of the world. We exist, in part, to counter the Glasgow doomerism narrative. With that in mind, we’ll feature Glaswegians who are doing amazing work in their community, as well as spotlighting great local businesses and venues, which we know readers love to hear about.
- Pull back the curtain with audio
We know that trust in news is low. Explaining how stories emerge, what challenges they present and the process we go through to write each of them helps demystify our job and provide transparency. So, if our campaign is successful, we will launch a podcast which will go behind the scenes of your favourite and most discussed stories, to improve accountability and trust in journalism and so readers can enjoy The Bell on the go. This will also help The Bell reach new audiences, allowing us to grow and bring our in-depth local stories to new readers (or listeners).
We hope that’s got you excited! But if we’re going to do it, we’ll need our 1,000 new members. So here’s how it’s going to work…
Next Wednesday, we’ll be launching our campaign right into your inboxes, followed by our sold out event at Drygate Brewery the next evening (if you’ve got a ticket, see you there!). Then, around the start of November, we’re going to dish out lots of copies of our exclusive print newspaper to Glaswegians across the city, which we’re putting the finishing touches to now. If you’d like to volunteer to help us hand the paper out, then please get in touch.
In fact, we’re going to rely on supporters young and old, paying or free, to help with this campaign. We’ll only have one month to hit our target, so every share, conversation on the bus, and new member counts.
Alongside all of this, there’s going to be something everyone loves: a deal. We’ll make announcements on this as the next week goes on. Plus, our website will get a wee makeover, with a tracker at the top so you can see how we’re doing. And you may even spot the odd Bell logo out in the wild…
Thank you for everything so far. The past two years have been a huge success. Next week, the real work begins.
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