ABSTRACT
Journalists producing news about poverty and social inequality face multiple challenges. The shifting political economies of news have depleted resources and increased pressures across mainstream media newsrooms, eroding specialist roles in social affairs and local community “patch journalism.” Journalists, largely based in major cities, may often be structurally disconnected from evolving and diverse experiences of poverty across communities. This presents a serious impediment to the meaningful reporting of poverty as a social issue. This chapter explores one area through which journalistic work may potentially be reconnected with public experiences of poverty: engagement with poverty-focused charities and non-governmental organizations. Drawing upon more than 30 interviews conducted with journalists and with media communicators from the nonprofit sector in Wales in 2016–2017, the chapter critically examines the reflections of each professional group upon the key challenges and opportunities in their interactions with each other. Focusing upon two main areas of tension/cooperation (resource-time sensibilities and gatekeeping v. duty of care), the chapter outlines how mutual understanding and collaboration can be finely balanced against the maintenance of professional values and boundaries in the production of news about poverty. It argues for recognition of the potential value of such forms of professional cooperation.
