The Beagle has landed - November 1st, 2016
 

In 2006 Tuross Head resident, Lei Parker, decided to establish a website for the Tuross Head community. There was virtually nothing about Tuross Head or its community on the internet.

He felt that a website might provide the community with a focal point that informed and included. A place where newcomers could learn of the towns history and develop a sense of belonging. The website now has over 11,000 photos, a full and comprehensive history and over 100 webpages that cover everything from natural history to individual Tuross head groups and organisations. A central repository for all things Tuross.
 

The www.turosshead.org website has played a key role in bringing the Tuross Head community together and the results are there in increased volunteerism and civic pride.

The website also has is a free business directory to promote EVERY business in the town; from trades to accommodation and eateries as each business is a local family and their financial wellbeing is crucial.

In 2008 he began the free monthly, on-line, Tuross Head newspaper called the “Tuross Giant”.
 

The newspaper was to keep locals informed of everything happening in the town. The small stories that were Tuross specific. The stories that fell through the gap of mainstream media. And there was always a lot happening. For the first year it was weekly and then became monthly. Tuross Head now had a voice and it was heard  far and wide by over 2,500 readers per month.

Many of the readers were non-resident ratepayers, annual visitors,  and those who dreamed of coming to Tuross one day or had left Tuross and wanted to remain in touch.The Tuross Giant published its last edition on October 1st ( 2016 ) to allow for the coming of The Beagle providing on-line news for the Eurobodalla shire.

Tuross Head is not unlike every little town on the South Coast. They all have history, they all have their passionate locals, committed organisations and their own important news.Most also have non-resident ratepayers who want to know what is going on.

The Beagle Weekly website www.beagleweekly.com.au was launched on November 1st, 2016.The website has all the latest Eurobodalla shire-wide news. It also has Food, The Arts, Lifestyle, Community and What's On along with letters and Opinion and all the Council State and Federal media releases relevant to the shire.

But most importantly it has the small-town important stories captured and presented on individual  Town pages. Here are the important community news items. The stories that seemed too piddly for the mainstream media to cover yet are more important to the little town that has progressively lost its voice in mainstream media.

The old model of news is changing. Tabloid newspapers are on their way out. Most news today is on-line. Even radio has changed and by example ABC South East is now online with text, podcasts and video. The paradigm is shifting.There are cutbacks and declining profits in print media. Recently several longstanding regional newspapers have closed down. Walleed Aly, in his Andrew Ollie lecture, and Peter Greste have both spoken of the future of news and the decline in journalism worldwide. 

Newspapers are now going on-line with a new financial model that requires readers to pay a fee to read the news. If you don’t pay;  you don’t get to read the news.  Many are opting not to pay and choosing to forgo local news. Those who do pay are reporting that the content is often scant and does not represent value.

So how do we celebrate our community without a traditional newspaper? How do promote our events, announce our accomplishments, discuss our future?

The time for not-for-megaprofit community run, on-line newspapers has arrived.

The Beagle Weekly website is the new face of community news. It has no pay wall. You can read all the news for free.

News is about networking. Tracking down information from many sources and bringing it all together in a single place. Most of the regional “news” you read and hear is the “same news” because a lot of the “news” is sourced from “media releases” and contributions from publicity officers. The Beagle has those same sources. Newspapers are just a convenient place to find it. In between the media releases you then find investigated stories though sadly, with cutbacks, these are fewer as resources are stripped.

The Beagle was born from the philosophy that a community needs to be informed, included and encouraged, and with the right media they can be. The Tuross Giant from which The Beagle was born proved by example that media is important to informing and giving voice. That example developed within one small, included and informed community has now expanded to cover the whole Eurobodalla shire. All the smaller towns are now encouraged to contribute the stories that they find important such as the important contributions from local Bush Fire brigades, items from community associations and community groups and cultural news of artists, galleries and music venues.
 

That’s what makes a community. One of the key roles of The Beagle is to provide access to those community voices

The South Coast Beagle Pty Ltd abides by 
MEAA Journalist Code of Ethics

Australian Press Council’s Statements of Principles

Facebook News Feed Publisher Guidelines

and acts in accordance with the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance Code of Ethics for

journalists and/or the Australian Press Council’s Standards of Practice and Advisory Guidelines.​