Birmingham forum looks at digital through a local lens

For several years local and regional journalism has been at a crossroads. Digital technology has changed the way we get our news and information. Traditional media such as newspapers, television and radio face new challenges every day.

But does digital spell their demise or offer a brand new opportunity? Is local news sustainable, and what will it look like in the future?

The BBC College of Journalism and BBC Birmingham are holding a special Digital News Day at the Mailbox in Birmingham on Tuesday 22 January to try to address some of these questions.

We’ll be looking at how the BBC, ITV Central News and the local newspapers are using digital to survive in the brave new world; how local bloggers and community journalists are trying to fill the void; how councils, the police and other authorities have embraced social media to connect with a new audience.

We’ll also be asking what role the new local TV services will play and how that will affect the media landscape.

There are still some tickets left for the evening debate about the future of digital news in Birmingham. You can register.

We will have a range of reports, blogs posts and films of the day on the BBC College of Journalism website over the coming weeks.