(PENSACOLA) --- The irony of the news, anymore.
Breaking news is the perfect example. Notable nationwide papers consider every move by President Donald Trump as immediate, newsworthy news, while considerable local broadcast news, including WEAR and WKRG, will tell you that the latest car accident or homicide is what matters most at the moment.
Then there is Nextdoor.
Wikipedia details the hyper-local social networking channel, founded in 2008, reporting the founders' notoriously colorful backstory from hit-and-runs to sexual harassment to all the media coverage it has received over the years.
While Wired, BuzzFeed News, and The Atlantic report on Nextdoor can incite “paranoid hysteria” and racial profiling, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tout disaster-relief partnerships with the network, now in 11 countries.
So what is it? News or not.
Pensacola Resident Richard Dixon points out that not only is it newsworthy, but a local dog attack yet to be reported by WEAR, WKRG, or PNJ has only been reported by this media outlet full as seen in the below reports.
(Photo: Angela Underwood Nextdoor Comments)
You're right, Richard.
It has not, until tomorrow, when PNJ will report on the attack weeks after this media outlet covered in Dog Mauls Woman, Escambia County Animal Control Pawns Paperwork off on Her, and Escambia County Commissioner's Office Ignores Questions in Dog Attack and Second Dog Attack Victim in Pensacola Comes Forward.
Collectively, the three stories garnered nearly 12K hits and dozens of social media comments in the last month, proving that Nextdoor is not only news but also all you've got when it comes to what is literally happening "next door."
I can also vouch for Richard in his comments below that state "they (local media) determine what subjects are allowed or not."
How can I vouch?
As a WEAR news producer, I attended two editorial meetings a day where only certain people made the final decision on what is considered "newsworthy," regardless of the many opinions offered.
The same with Gannett, hence PNJ. Rarely did I write a story that remained in the exact words as I saw it. Edits and cuts often kill what really matters in a story.
On a less local level, Nextdoor seems to be proving it works with more users using the hyper-local channel than other major social media channels.
(Photo: Nextdoor Website Graphic)
In the end, time will tell how much more or less residents count on Nextdoor as a reliable source of news in an age when truly "breaking" news is mute to the masses who are too busy scrolling to see what their neighbor ate at a local restaurant on Instagram.
Now that is news, I write sarcastically.
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