Northampton Chronicle & Echo to open up newsroom with liveblog

The Northampton Chronicle & Echo is planning a first for its website tomorrow (Friday 5) by running a day-long webchat on what's going on in the newsroom.

Using liveblogging software CoveritLive, news editor Daniel Owens will lead the live discussion and hopes it will give readers the chance to ask questions about stories in the paper and the editorial processes behind them.

The webchat will be a chance to meet reporters and staff at the title as well as find out more about what stories the paper will run on the website and the next day's edition. The software allows the paper to poll readers too and the title hopes visitors to the website will help shape the content of the paper too.

But Owens is keen to keep tomorrow's liveblog, which will start at 8.30am on the Chronicle & Echo's website, entertaining too, as this is the paper's approach in its other social media channels, in particular its Twitter stream.

The newsroom liveblog builds on the paper's use of CoveritLive to cover away games for local rugby club the Northampton Saints and football side Northampton Town, which it started two weeks ago.

More than 150 took part in the liveblogs with 100 replays the following day. The numbers are small, but it's a new development and good feedback suggests the format is popular, Owens told Journalism.co.uk.

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