The team of Bylines Scotland, which is run by volunteers, had a chance to meet some of its fellow editors and writers yesterday at the Social Hub in Glasgow. It was the first time we have had an in-person event, and connections were made fast between us.
Our writers are only known to most of the editors through email exchanges. Authors’ works are usually submitted as a Word document and then they travel through our system of editing, fact checking and proofreading. Editors’ faces were more familiar through our regular Zoom calls, and yet it was quite a surreal moment to actually meet each other in-person; a combination of meeting a good friend and yet we’ve never physically shared the same room.
The team didn’t hesitate at the effort involved, travelling from different corners of the country in order to meet face to face. We were all united as one with the common aim to make our publication flourish.
A delicious lunch was paired with an excellent Chilean red wine which meant conversation was easy and the atmosphere had a genuine buzz. Topics of conversations ranged from Scottish independence, the future of the EU, the US administration, war in Ukraine, education, refugees, our personal connections to Scotland, and that’s just to name a few. Strategies were also discussed in how to reach communities further afield, how to improve our outreach on social media and how to counterbalance the algorithm which favours main stream media.
At Bylines Scotland we want to hear more about matters that are of interest to you and your local communities. This can regard politics, the environment, education, culture, society, or anything else that is of importance to you.
We believe that the sense of connection and community is what brings us together and independent, grassroots’ journalism is what is desperately needed by all of us in an environment of misinformation and media monopolies. For more information: https://bylines.scot/.
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