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THE LOCAL

What The Local’s new design means for you

You may have noticed that The Local looks quite different today. Here’s how our new design makes it easier to get around the site.

Published: 8 February 2022 08:51 CET
What The Local’s new design means for you

After several years with the same design we decided last year that it was high time to give the site a makeover. For one thing we wanted it to look nicer, but most importantly the new design is aimed at making it quicker and easier for you to find what you need without hassle.

You will notice, for example, that the site has a new menu bar that will direct you to the most popular categories. The example below is taken from our France edition but you will find variations on the same menu items on all our country sites. 

You won’t be surprised to learn that we are hoping to retire the Covid-19 category as soon as possible. 

On the desktop version of the site, if you hover your mouse over a category title you will find some of the most important related topics. 

If you click on one of the main categories in the menu bar you will find links to what are currently the most popular related topics. 

On the homepage, each article’s main topic will be displayed above the headline so you can quickly click or tap your way to more articles on that subject. 

You will also find more topics at the bottom of every page that will take you to related articles. 

One significant change is the introduction of a feature that will automatically load up a new article for you once you have got to bottom of the page.

Similarly, articles (like this one) that are not affected by the paywall will show an unlocked padlock. 

If you want to search for a particular topic the search tool is prominently displayed at the top left of the desktop and mobile sites. On desktop it’s just under the dropdown menu you can use to switch editions. 

As a members of The Local you will be able to quickly access your account details and update your newsletter preferences using the buttons in the top right. 

If you are not yet a member you can cast your eyes to the top of the site to see offers that are such good value you will wonder what you’re waiting for. Now really is as good a time as any to join. 

READ ALSO: How The Local’s members are helping us get better

We have also worked hard on significantly speeding up the site, which we hope will make your visits to The Local more enjoyable. 

You are sure to notice plenty of other changes as you get familiar with the new design. But one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to producing independent journalism that leans heavily on dialogue with our readers. 

With this in mind, we would love to hear from you if you have any feedback on the new design or suggestions for improvements. You can drop us a line at [email protected] or, if you are a member, you will as always be able to let us know what you think in the comments below the article. 

Thanks for reading, and we hope you like the new look! 

Member comments

  2. Looks okay but the new design doesn’t work well on MacOS Safari (I’m on v15.2):
    – the menu and it’s links work fine
    – article links on the main page don’t work (clicking a link does nothing); however, right-click and select “Open in new tab” works as expected

  3. Getting used to the new look, and now like it overall. Is a dark mode planned? So much white background makes it very glaring at night on a Desktop or laptop

    1. Thank you for taking the time to comment. Glad you like the new look! We don’t have a dark mode planned but will consider this feedback when we are making updates.

  4. Nice, though I only want to see one change; that I do not have to sign in every other day. It is not my browser; I have remained signed into some sites for months or more. TheLocal is constantly throwing the sign up or sign in window at me. It’s not my cookies. It’s browser, machine and location independent. And it made me stop my next yearly subscription (but re-enable adverts, to be somewhat fair). It’s just a minor frustration but so needless.

    I thought the iOS application would alleviate this, though that seemed just to be a branded browser window with the same issues.

    In all honesty, a simple reader view makes all pay-walled articles fully readable without signing in, and I can live without the site. But if the convenience of being a member improves with the design, I’ll undoubtedly keep paying for it.

    1. Thanks for your support and sorry to hear you are having trouble staying logged in. If you have not yet been in touch I suggest you contact customer service at [email protected] and hopefully this can be resolved.

      As for the iOS app, we have a new native app in the works that is scheduled for release later this year.

  5. I use two great browsers, Vivaldi from Norway and Brave. Both are Chromium-based. Vivaldi won’t open anything on TheLocal.se Brave will open. Do you not have any Systems Analysts that work for you. You’re supposed to test all this stuff before you make a silly decision to re-make. The original layout was great, why break it?

  6. It looks pretty. Well done for that. But on my page the news articles are all messed up. I like to see news articles in chronological order. I wouldn’t want to miss karl lauterbach’s nuremberg trial because of a small thumbnail.

  7. Hi,

    I think it would be helpful if you would put a banner or something telling people they’ll have to disable adblock if they want to read articles. I’m signed into my account and was unable to follow any of the links on the home page. It wasn’t until I thought about disabling adblock to see if that would work.

    1. Hi Cynthia, thanks for this. I’m told this issue has now been fixed, so you should again be able to click on links even with your adblocker enabled. You’re welcome to contact our support team at [email protected] if the problem persists. Apologies for the bug – thanks for bearing with us!

  9. The new look is fine , but I have a problem to open the articles, clicking on the titles does not seem to work. I have to open them in a new tab which I have not had before ? Is it just my PC or anyone else had issues ?

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THE LOCAL

The Local launches training for European migration reporters: Sign up now

Are you a journalist covering migration, or interested in doing so? Throughout 2020, The Local is offering free training sessions and workshops for journalists across the EU.

Published: 7 February 2020 14:08 CET
The Local launches training for European migration reporters: Sign up now
We are running workshops and training sessions for journalists at different stages of their career. File photo: Christina Morillo/Pexels

The curriculum is based on solutions journalism methodology, and how this can be adapted to the migration beat.

In a nutshell, solutions-focused stories are those that look into a response to a problem in a clear and critical way. That means investigating exactly how the response was carried out, examining any limitations or problems by reviewing the evidence, and looking into what we can learn from the idea.

We believe that coverage of how people are responding constructively to challenges is an essential part of journalism. By including this kind of reporting, journalists can help combat limited perspectives and damaging stereotypes, give their audiences a fuller picture of what's happening in the world without telling them what to think, and make their reporting more inclusive.

The training developed by The Local will cover best practices for reporting on migration, a step-by-step guide for finding and reporting a solutions-focused story (as well as guidance on publications, funding and awards that support this kind of journalism), and discussion on making reporting as inclusive as possible.

Training sessions and workshops are available for student journalists, early-career journalists and those with more than five years' experience, with the format and content adapted for each group. As well as outlining how a solutions-focused approach can be used in migration reporting, we want to connect journalists working on the migration beat, to share their own experiences and discuss different approaches to the topic and processes for finding and writing stories.

Solutions-focused stories on The Local:

We will be offering the training throughout 2020 in both online and face-to-face sessions, with a workshop for experienced journalists expected to take place online in spring 2020, and further online and face-to-face training sessions for all categories planned for the autumn. Exact locations and times will be determined based on successful applicants' availability and location, and each training session is free for participants.

This training is part of the EU-wide project MAX (Maximising Migrants' Contributions to Society). Funded by the EU's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, MAX aims to expand the public narrative around immigration in Europe and highlight stories of real people who have migrated and the communities they have joined.

If you are a journalist already writing about migration or interested in doing so, and would like to be considered for participation in the training, please submit your details below to express interest in the training. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

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