Paul Rouse: Why the toughest job in media is getting even harder - especially at county final time

For 136 years, the previews and match reports of county finals have been staple content for local papers.

CUP OF CHEER: Declan Hogan of Tullamore celebrates with the cup after the Offaly County Senior Football Championship final match against Ferbane at Glenisk O'Connor Park in Tullamore. Picture: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

One of the most challenging jobs in media is working as a reporter on a local paper. It requires a fairly unique collection of skills to do it for any length of time – let alone to do it successfully.

The usual skills of being a journalist apply. You need to be able to cultivate good and reliable contacts, be able to do research, have excellent attention to detail, be persistent, have a good instinct for what people are interested in, and you need to be able to write well and quickly.