‘Journalism is extremely well-positioned for creating positive change’

I was with a friend in Bristol Beer Factory’s taproom the other day happily drinking a pint of Laser Juice when I watched a man a few tables away pick up and read a copy of Bristol24/7’s quarterly magazine.

I suppose the feeling that ensued is the very definition of job satisfaction. It must be what a bricklayer feels when they stand back and admire the house they’ve built, or what a teacher feels when they help a child grasp a previously unattainable concept.

Ironically, the team at Bristol24/7 don’t often actually get to see people reading our magazine. But when we do, it really warms our cockles.

Seeing our work out there in the wild, bringing information and hopefully inspiration to the people of Bristol, is the very reason we exist.

The optimum way to enjoy the Bristol24/7 magazine is with a pint of Bristol Beer Factory – photo: Meg Houghton-Gilmour

Being back in print has been the defining success of the last 12 months for our small team, and writing this year’s social impact report has granted me the chance to reflect on our achievements.

The feedback we’ve had about the return of the magazine has been overwhelmingly positive, and there’s no feeling quite like getting your hands on a copy fresh off the press after a busy few weeks of looming deadlines, word counts and last minute scrambles.

Getting the magazine back from the printers is always an exciting day – photo: Meg Houghton-Gilmour

I hope that having a physical presence in cafes, museums, libraries and pubs will help us reach more people with our work, but for me this isn’t limited strictly to our journalism.

I hope more people will become aware of all the work Bristol24/7 does as a community interest company alongside our writing, and that perhaps they might engage with us beyond just reading an article or a magazine.

If you asked people how to change the world, journalism might play a part in their answer but it likely wouldn’t be at the top of the agenda.

But if you take a moment to dwell on the role that journalism plays in society, it becomes clear how instrumental a community-focused approach can be in improving our lives and our environment.

Journalism has a considerable influence on how people think, how they interact with their community and how communities perceive themselves, which makes it extremely well-positioned for creating positive change.

Journalism in the wrong hands is extremely powerful and dangerous, but the exact opposite is true when it is used for good.

Since Bristol24/7’s inception nearly ten years ago, using our platform to make Bristol a better place has been central to our work and our mission.

In this year’s social impact report, I have reflected on the various shapes that this work currently takes, a lot of which happens quietly and without much fanfare, all year round.

At Bristol24/7 we have someone come and do work experience with us almost every week of the year – photo: Meg HoughtonGilmour

If you read the report, which I hope you will, perhaps you will realise that for Bristol24/7, our social impact work is as integral to our daily lives as our journalism.

So much so, that as that man read the magazine in Bristol Beer Factory on a recent Friday afternoon, he may not have realised he was reading the work of four people who are currently training for qualifications on the job, one person who had their first taste of journalism on a weeks work experience, a community reporter who writes about underrepresented groups and a student intern.

Having someone read and enjoy your own work is a wonderful feeling. But knowing that you’ve helped to provide a platform for others whose voices might not be heard or a cause that needs amplifying is even better still.

I feel no end of pride when I write our annual social impact report and see our small team produce something of such value to our community. I look forward to seeing what the next 12 months bring.

This is an opinion piece by Meg Houghton-Gilmour, Bristol24/7’s Head of Audience 

Main photo: Miles Arnold

Read the 2023 social impact report

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