As the year draws to a close, we want to take a moment to thank you—our supporters, readers, and contributors—for your engagement and encouragement throughout 2024. Whether you’ve shared your insights, joined a conversation, or simply read along, your involvement has been invaluable in shaping the work of Decentered Media.
This year has seen significant shifts in media policy and regulation in the UK, with community media at the heart of many key debates. From evolving public service media frameworks to ongoing discussions about funding and sustainability for place-based media initiatives, it’s been a fast-moving landscape.
As we take stock of the year, here are six highlights from the blog in 2024 that we’ve explored together:
- Navigating Post-Institutional Media: We discussed the growing importance of decentralised networks and how they challenge traditional media institutions, offering new opportunities for participation and innovation.
- Public Service Media Review: Through consultation sessions, we examined how public service media could better reflect diverse and distributed perspectives, ensuring that more voices are heard in the debate.
- Community Media and Local Identity: A focus on how community media strengthens local connections, fostering a sense of place and shared identity in an increasingly fragmented digital world.
- Policy and Regulation Updates: Analysis of the year’s major regulatory changes and their potential impacts on community media, with a particular emphasis on the opportunities and challenges they bring.
- Media Innovation and Accountability: Insights into how innovation in media can remain grounded in accountability and community-driven values, avoiding the pitfalls of uncritical technological optimism.
- Workshops and Discussions: Recaps of interactive sessions with media practitioners, exploring everything from storytelling techniques to strategies for sustaining independent media initiatives.
As we look ahead to 2025, we remain committed to exploring these critical issues and championing inclusive, decentralised media approaches. We’re grateful to have you as part of this journey and look forward to continuing the conversation.
Wishing you a peaceful and joyful Christmas, a reflective Winter Solstice, and a fantastic start to 2025. Let’s keep working together to make media more connected, participatory, and meaningful in the year ahead.
Warm regards,
The Decentered Media Team