“Your News” Changes Society February 25 20:07

"I was buzzing about the article" Anato "."
"If I thought it was a good article, it was" Anoto "again."

It's a topic that's often spoken by newspaper and television reporters over the past year or two.

"Anatoku" is "Your special coverage group" started by Nishinihon Shimbun. It's a bit different from the traditional "scoop". It's a name for a new problem-solving research report based on readers' questions and concerns. We have achieved two-way communication with readers using the communication app, and have been producing results one after another.

The number of newspapers nationwide has fallen by more than 12 million in the past decade as more people read the news online. In particular, the "local media" is said to be in a severe situation.

"Anato" reporters who struggled to return to the origin of "trust from readers" were interviewed closely from the same reporter's perspective. (Daichi Takahashi, Reporter, Network Media)

Investigation report of "reader origin" started

"I'm in trouble with the smoke on the veranda next door. What should I do?"
"The child was instructed to draw the horizontal line of the calculation with a ruler instead of handwriting. Find out why."

Messages arrive one after another on reporters' smartphones. The questions and worries that readers felt in their lives.

Based on those voices received one after another through the communication app LINE, reporters start interviewing and writing articles.

This is a new research report called Nishinihon Shimbun's "Your special coverage group", commonly called "Anato".

Articles of "Anatoku" are published free of charge on the Internet in addition to the space. The number of articles accessed may exceed several million PV. It has gained a great reputation since its launch two years ago, and is gaining new fans nationwide beyond the newspaper publishing area.

Nobuhiro Sakamoto, the cap for "Anato" in the Nishi-Nippon Shimbun, said,

Nishi-Nippon Shimbun Reporter Nobuhiro Sakamoto "By getting help from readers, we are now able to do news that we could not do alone. We are reaching out to readers who did not read paper newspapers. Through Anatoku, I want to increase trust in newspapers and journalism. "

3100 reporters disappeared in 10 years

Behind the Nishi-Nippon Shimbun's initiative is a sense of crisis as a newspaper company, "leaving readers away."

The Nippon Nihon Shimbun, a block newspaper covering the Kyushu region, currently has a circulation of 580,000. The sales area has also shrunk, with the number decreasing from two-thirds of its peak ten years ago to two years ago in Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures.

Sakamoto: “As the number of papers is decreasing, I thought that the ship would sink if I didn't take any action early. It was hard to feel, and there was a sense of danger that readers would move away if they were just sticking to the traditional methods. ''

Not just the West Japan Newspaper.

According to the Japan Newspaper Association, the number of newspapers published by 116 member companies nationwide decreased from 5.35 million in 2009 to 37.81 million last year. It is about three quarters.

The big factor is the spread of the Internet and smartphones. Originally, articles originally published and distributed by newspaper companies can be read on the Internet anytime, anywhere, and for free. This is a major drawback for newspapers, which have earned subscription and advertising fees by delivering newspapers to each and every home.

Severity in management has led to a decrease in the number of reporters responsible for reporting activities.

Similarly, according to data from the Japan Newspaper Association, the number of reporters at newspaper companies and news agencies decreased from 21,103 to 91 in 2009, to 17,793 in 96 last year. In 10 years, 3100 reporters have disappeared from the whole country.

A series of discontinued and discontinued publications, also called "News Desert"

In some cases, local newspapers that have reported local information disappear. In the past 20 years, about 70 regional papers (local papers) and local papers called the second prefecture paper have been discontinued or discontinued.

In the United States, the decline of the local media is worse than in Japan, and it is said that the "news desert" where local residents cannot obtain important local information is progressing.

A survey by the University of North Carolina, Professor Penny Abernathy, has dropped 2,100 newspapers in the United States, a quarter of the total over the past 15 years. In more than 200 regions, there is no local newspaper.

Former Buzzfeed Japan editor-in-chief Daisuke Furuta, who is familiar with the situation in the domestic and overseas media, said, "A lot of research has been done in the United States on the impact of the news desert, but especially serious In fact, in Japan, only 116 newspapers (members of the Nippon Shimbun Association) had 1800 Local government coverage is overwhelmingly lacking in local coverage, there are not enough candidates for local councils, and there may be evidence that a news desert has already occurred in Japan. Hmm. "

"Correspondent" not reader

The Nishi-Nippon Shimbun has begun to move in a difficult situation.

What is the difference between the “anatoku” method and the conventional reports? The point is to build a "trust relationship" with the reader.

In "Anato", people who send information through LINE are called "correspondents". It is not just a "reader", but a collaborator working together to create an article.

Correspondents are not only located in the Kyushu region where the head office is located, but also all over the country, and 14,000 people are registered.

Voices from correspondents can be accessed by any reporter in the Nishi Nihon Shimbun. It doesn't matter whether it's the Social Affairs Department, the Living Culture Department, or a reporter at a local bureau. A reporter who thought, "I want to hear the story and want to help solve the problem" to the person who gave me the voice of my troubles raised the hand and started the interview.

On this day, the message that arrived at "ANATO" through LINE was the mother's voice regarding the medical phone consultation "# 8000" for children.

"I don't know how many times I've been connected to # 8000 when my child suddenly has a fever. I hope you check it out and try to improve it."

Kosuke Kanazawa (37), a member of the Social Affairs Department, immediately contacted the correspondent who sent the message. He wrote many articles on "Anatoku", focusing on educational topics, and his readers' trust is especially hot.

"What was your child's condition at the time?" "Why did you decide to call for medical help?"
"How did you feel when you were not connected?"

Kanazawa asks questions one by one.

Reporters connected to readers

The advantage of using a communication app for interviews is its interactive nature.

A message was sent to 14,000 registered correspondents.

"If any of you have had difficulty connecting # 8000 or have difficulty consulting, please reply to this message."

Then, the reaction comes back in no time.

"I couldn't get it over and over again, and when I called my ambulance, I was told," Don't call me with these symptoms. "

Dozens of respondents gather in about an hour.

Reporter Kanazawa, one of the respondents, went directly to a child-raising woman living in Fukuoka Prefecture.

A woman who responded to her interview at home while trying to treat a small child complained, "When I was connected to # 8000, I was told," I want you to make a decision for myself, "and couldn't take proper measures." Kanazawa reporter standing in the same gaze as a correspondent and listening seriously to his voice.

I was surprised that the barrier between the interviewer and the interviewee was hardly felt.

The woman said, “The article of“ Anato ”is familiar because we receive voices from the citizens and we will proceed with coverage based on it. It is more trustworthy than previous articles We have actually solved the problem, and we want to speak up. "

It may be obvious, but the accumulation of "listening to the voice of the reader" leads to trust. I can feel it again while watching Kanazawa's coverage.

According to Kanazawa, "I use antennas as newspaper reporters, but sometimes it can be difficult to see if we are only interviewing the authorities. Even if # 8000 does not connect, the reporters themselves should be aware of them. It could have been that the feedback from readers has allowed us to do more broader coverage. "

After that, we also visited Kyushu prefecture. It has been found that many municipalities are often short on telephone lines and inadequately prepared. The interview that began based on the voices of readers was completed with an interview with the local government. The article covered the social aspects of the newspaper the next morning.

There is more to be done in newspapers

There have been many cases where such special articles have led to solving local issues.

For example, an article based on voices from women with disabilities, such as "Why there are no priority seats on express buses in Kyushu?" Four bus companies in Nagasaki Prefecture established priority seats in the wake of the news.

Also, an article about the damage caused by fraudulent use of the mobile phone carrier billing system led to the introduction of a compensation system by a major mobile phone company.

So far, you have received more than 10,000 messages, about 370 articles.

Mr. Sakamoto of the Nishinihon Shimbun says he feels a great response to the new form of journalism that deepens the relationship of trust with readers and solves social issues.

Nobuhiro Sakamoto, Nishi-Nippon Shimbun Newspaper "From the reader who sent me the post," I thought that no one would help me, but I fell asleep, Anatoku picked up and the system changed. Some readers may have heard that the newspapers seemed to be a shady industry, but there are still many tasks that we can only do. I feel like there's a lot. "

Newspaper companies cooperate with each other.

In addition, efforts to “sharing news stories” with other companies have begun, breaking the conventional wisdom of the press. "JOD (Journalism on Demand) Partnership."

The Nishi-Nippon Shimbun plays a central role in calling on local newspapers nationwide, and currently about 20 companies from Okinawa to Hokkaido participate.

Approximately 90 reporters and desks of each company exchange information using a chat system every day. The company wrote articles and shared information.

Even if the prefectures that publish newspapers are different, each other's rivals. Until now, it has never been possible to share information about news gathering.

What kind of exchanges do you have?

On the day of the interview, information was being exchanged with the local newspaper "Iwate Nippo" in Iwate using a video conference system.

The Nishi-Nippon Shimbun posted an article in the chat system based on the reader's experience that "I was asked to leave when I was watching parliament with children."

Iwate Nippo saw it and got a message.

Some people in Iwate have the same question. A reporter at the Iwate Nippo reports to a mother of a child-raising generation living in Iwate Prefecture based on information received from a reporter at the Nishinihon Shimbun via a video conference. Another reporter interviewed members of the county council and wrote an article.

The completed article was a combination of a part written by a reporter at the Nishi Nippon Shimbun and a part written by a reporter at Iwate Nippo.

The questions of women living in Fukuoka Prefecture go beyond the region and reach Iwate, where they dig new problems. While digging deeply into local topics, the article also pointed out the nationwide spread of issues.

A reporter of Iwate Nippo stated, "Since there has never been a cooperation between local newspapers, there are parts that are inspiring. Also, what is happening in Iwate may be happening nationwide. And because the articles I wrote could reach the whole country, it also increased my motivation. "

As for the cooperation between local newspapers, Mr. Sakamoto of the West Japan Newspaper, who started the JOD partnership, said:

Nobuhiro Sakamoto, Nishi-Nippon Shimbun, "In each prefecture, local newspapers have the most comprehensive coverage. The strongest media in the region cooperate with each other to add the greatest ally of readers. I'm convinced that we can get more interesting coverage in both quality and quantity than ever before. ''

“Who is it for?”

A new research report called “Anato” aimed at solving social issues based on connections with readers.

There are interesting survey results.

When I visited "Anato" correspondents and asked, "What is" Anato "for you?", More than 60% of the respondents answered "Social participation".

Readers and citizens participate in the society through the media. One way to do this is to use the media. The close relationship between the two shows the potential to solve even more local and social issues.

It is noticed.

Looking back on my own life as a reporter, I think that I have focused solely on reporting a bit earlier than others, and have given priority to topics that we consider important. Did those reports really reach audiences and readers?

“Who is it for?”
“How to get involved with readers”

As a reporter, I feel that I gained great hints as a reporter about the new initiatives of local newspapers such as the Nishi-Nippon Shimbun.

I will tell you more about this topic in today's close-up Hyundai on February 25 + “Social Change with Your News-Reliable Journalism-” (from 10:00 pm).

Daichi Takahashi, Reporter, Network Press