There’s an ongoing debate about the distinction between local and hyperlocal news coverage. Is it the geography or size of a place that makes coverage hyperlocal? Or is it the attitude and subject matter? Sarah Hartley, editor of The Guardian Local, defines hyperlocal with 10 characteristics, including author and community participation, independence and passion.
Regardless of how you choose to differentiate between local and hyperlocal, going local is a growing trend on the Internet with potentially huge implications for blogger engagement, pitching and media buys. As news outlets embrace local coverage, bloggers and citizen journalists are increasingly on the frontlines of news gathering and storytelling. This week’s Friday Five looks at that trend and highlights five hyperlocal projects from across the country.
TBD.com
After months of hype, the journalism world was abuzz at the beginning of August with the launch of TBD.com, an all-local news website in the Washington, D.C., area. Owned by Allbritton Communications, the site has an editorial staff of 35, but it relies on Allbritton’s other media properties (WJLA and News Channel 8, now re-branded as TBD) and a network of 147 local blogs for community engagement. Whether crowd-sourcing storm photos, asking readers to “complete this story” with additional details, or posting real time Twitter feeds about commuting disruptions, TBD puts a huge emphasis on mobile apps, social media and user-generated content. Although blog networks, social media and a commitment to linking outward are not revolutionary concepts, TBD is the largest and most ambitious effort yet to create a new model for local coverage in a large metropolitan area.
Patch
On Aug. 17, AOL announced plans to rapidly expand its hyperlocal news arm, Patch.com, to more than 500 communities by the end of 2010. Already in 100 neighborhoods, Patch sites are for communities of 15,000 to 75,000 people. Every Patch site is run by one professional local editor who, along with an average of 11 freelancers, provides original reporting on things like city government, schools and local sports. In addition to being a destination for local news, Patch sites provide data like shopping directories, community maps and contact information for local officials. Patch users are encouraged to upload photos and add events to the site’s community calendar.
HighSchoolSports.net
Earlier this year, Gannett Broadcasting announced a deal with DataSphere Technologies to launch neighborhood blog networks in 10 of Gannett’s local markets. In August, Gannett publicized plans to further its hyperlocal push by rolling out more than 100 local sports websites co-branded with HighSchoolSports.net. Gannett’s first sports sites will debut in 38 media markets like Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Denver. Expansion to Gannett’s other local media outlets is expected to be complete by the end of 2010.
Yahoo San Francisco
Word spread in August that Yahoo is recruiting writers to build a local news site for the San Francisco area. After acquiring the Web content farm, Associated Content, in May, it appears that Yahoo is attempting to leverage Associated Content’s registered contributors. In an email blast to the contributors, Yahoo said it is “looking for writers living in or near the San Francisco area (like you!) to write compelling, local content — ranging from highlights of your favorite neighborhood destinations to metro-wide, first-person reporting assignments covering the stories and topics not typically found in mainstream news media.”
Roscoe View Journal
The Roscoe View Journal launched in Chicago on Aug. 16. A hyperlocal news site covering the Windy City’s Roscoe Village and West Lakeview neighborhoods, the Roscoe View Journal is the second hyperlocal site started by Mark Fourcher- the first was Center Square Journal. In addition to the website, Roscoe View Journal is active on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. Although neighborhood volunteers write most of the content, Fourcher says everything is “edited and monitored by a professional editor with real journalist chops.”
Image credit: Cris_33
