Local Digital Media – the role of ‘Hyperlocal’ in supporting

community participation in public life

Dave Harte, Jerome Turner: Birmingham City University

Abstract

• Qualitative examination of Hyperlocal and its audiences.

• Part of 30-month examination of ‘creative citizenship’.

Hyperlocal will save us – version 1

“[…]hyper-local journalism is not simply a hobby or a pleasant localist addition. It is a potential amelioration of the drastic problem of declining professional regional and local news media.”

(Beckett and Herve-Azevedo 2010: 11)

Hyperlocal will save us – version 2

“The growing belief in hyperlocal media needs much more thought, especially in Britain. We have fractured communities here and there is an urgent need to find some glue.”

(Greenslade 2007)

Hyperlocal’s civic role

Academics:“[…] to promote civic engagement.” (Metzgar et al. 2011: 774)

“[…] driven by the voices of community members more than by the agendas of policymakers.” (Hatcher 2012: 244)

“The motivation of starting independent hyper-local sites is often to tell the previously untold stories of communities.” (Glaser 2010: 585)

Practitioners:“A Hyperlocal is any web site which […] encourages and facilitates debate within the community.”

(Hyperlocal Alliance 2013)

Researching Hyperlocal

• Timely to consider the relationship between those who run hyperlocals and the communities they serve.

Research Methods

• Two case studies, Tyburn Mail and Connect Cannock

• Semi-structured interviews with practitioners

• Workshops with members of those communities

Case Studies

Working practicesTyburn Mail Connect Cannock

Format/s Monthly newspaper, Wordpress blog, FB page, Twitter account.

Wordpress blog, Facebook page, Twitter account

Income Housing association buys advertorial, advertising revenue, grant support

None (once tried selling advertising)

Staff One journalist, supported by a few other staff

One blogger, supported by partner for photography

Hours 9-5, 4 days a week Evenings (otherwise full-time employed)

Background Formal journalism training / experience

No journalism training /exp., works in online tech industry

Key skills “Journalism” Web, technical (initially)

Motivations To be journalistic, to serve community, but to retain independence

Hobby, to inform the community, less concerned about being ‘journalistic’

Story sources Readers, community groups, press releases from schools, police, attending community meetings

RSS feeds, attending community meetings, email lists, word of mouth, relationships with police, council, etc

Role within community

“We, as a minor hyperlocal media, reflect the position of the general public.”

Tyburn Mail

“There’s no pretence that I’m going to fulfil a media role in the area, but I do think it does help and give an idea of what’s happening.”

Connect Cannock

Engagement“There are very large number of community groups that make the community accessible. Certainly, if you wanted to contact a pressure group or an interest group you would know where to do it in Castle Vale.”

“I think our core audience is the middle aged to older generation of community activists. I don’t think that we can claim to be reaching, on a regular basis, the younger generation. When I’ve written an article and I want to reach the younger generation, I put a link to it on our Facebook page[…]”

Tyburn Mail

“I tend to find, initially I tried to do very much what I thought was proper journalism and write it in that style. But the [stories] that are more effective, I think, are the ones that are a little more relaxed.”

Connect Cannock

Perception and trust

“I think what doesn’t work about local news, is if you try and use internet. You tend to get a lot of sites that claim to tell you stuff, but all they’re really doing is riding the back of advertising. It's just not worth it. Just don’t go there. The internet has got a little bit of a problem like that for some local news.”

Cannock workshop

“The problem is, I find, because CVCHA [housing association] actually own Tyburn Mail and Switch now, the problem is I think there’s a danger of it becoming more biased and I’ve noticed that. A lot of peoples’ negative articles or opinions are being filtered out. Especially if it’s against the housing and social.”

Tyburn workshop

Potential for produsers

• Citizens describe doing personal research to further their understanding of a story, when Tyburn Mail hasn’t covered in enough detail for them

• People have the confidence, story of woman at crime scene asking police on scene for more info

• Locals taking photos of unemptied bins• Many in the Tyburn area already involved, having

suggested stories, written in, delivered it, done radio work

Conclusion

Hyperlocals: “serve not only as a traditional information source but also as a forum for ongoing discussion of local affairs and a mechanism for building and strengthening relationships among local residents” (Chen 2012: 932)

Further Research

• Co-creation with communities.• Survey/interviews with practitioners.