A study by law and journalism academics has found that just three out of 240 potential news stories were published about proceedings at Bristol Magistrates’ Court during one week in January 2018.

The research paints a “grim picture” of untold court news stories, its authors say, as legacy media struggles with tech giants hoovering up ad revenue and readers move to other news sources.

One working journalist

The study by the University of the West of England found only one working journalist present as 240 cases were heard in court.

Researchers monitored 40 local newspapers and online media outlets in the area served by Bristol Magistrates’ Court – Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset.

'Poor state'

They concluded that their study, though small-scale, justified the perception of court reporting as being in a poor state: “… the lack of coverage during the week is clear when compared to the hundreds of cases heard during that period, concerning people across Bristol and the surrounding area.

"Effectively, this local-level justice was being conducted invisibly,” they write.

One of the observers conducting the study had journalism training and had a checklist to identify potential news stories, ranking newsworthiness according to the seriousness of the charge, whether the defendant was a public figure, and whether there were unusual or interesting factors.

The academics comment that low-level crime stories get published when a press release is issued, such as one about a man who stole a car and drove it without a licence or insurance.

And one online article gave a very minimal account of 60 different convictions, using details supplied by the Crown Prosecution Service.

“This is hardly an example of robust and independent oversight by journalism,” the report said.

The report’s authors were told by news outlet managers that they did not have a sufficient number of trained reporters to properly cover court hearings.