Focus of work
This fellowship will comprise a conceptual and mapping exercise to understand what ongoing
technological and behavioural changes could mean for the provision of high-quality independent transport information and journalism.
It will seek to understand the changing landscape for journalism and publicly accessible information on transport issues, providing insight into what a high-quality next generation specialist independent information architecture might look like.
Specific questions that the research will address include:
- What do we mean by journalism in this context? For example: news, analysis and opinion, investigations, and fulfilling the role of journal of record and noticeboard for the sector.
- What do we mean by the transport sector?
- What are its professional information needs and how are they changing?
The research will have inherent public interest goals, specifically to examine the potential for a
model that informs readers rather than focuses on making a profit. It will recognise a need for information and jourmalism to be both accurate and objective – particularly relevant as much of the non-specialist press is adopting a consumer-facing perspective – to highlight the importance of reducing car use and increasing sustainable travel.
In particular, the research will seek to explore the following:
- What transport journalism exists, any gaps in provision and how this is changing
- Emerging threats, such as AI.
- If the situation in transport journalism is being paralleled in other sectors and how they are responding.
- What platform(s) would be most likely to be provide success for a new journalism offer.
- Potential demand and possible funding and governance models.
- The profile, values and positioning, as well as key ingredients, of a new journalism offer.
Research methods will include a desktop exercise to map existing provision, a questionnaire for people in the transport sector and semi-structured interviews, including with journalists in outlets in parallel sectors.
About Chris
Chris Ames is an experienced transport journalist who spent more than nine years with the Hemming Group working on Surveyor, the Transport Network and Highways magazine website. He now works as a freelance journalist and runs the Transport Insights blog. He has also worked for third sector organisations as an investigator, and as a research officer and knowledge manager. He has significant experience in the public presentation of factual information and policy issues.