The Value of UK Hyperlocal Community News: Findings From a multi-method study

• In Event: A New Chapter in the Life of Local Journalism: Changing Conceptions of Journalists and Journalism in Local News

Abstract

The public interest value of news is often viewed through the prism of its relationship to democracy. In this respect news should act as a source of accurate and plural information for citizens, watchdogs, mediators, and advocates. These roles are under pressure in the UK’s commercial local news sector. This has led many to speculate that the output of a new generation of hyperlocal citizen news producers might play some of these roles. To test this assumption we completed 36 semi-structured interviews with producers, the largest content analysis to date of UK hyperlocal news content (1941 posts on 313 sites), and the largest ever survey of UK community news practitioners (183 responses). We found that these sites have developed various strategies to foster plural debate, including the launch of critical public interest investigations. In other words, UK hyperlocal news (sometimes) plays one of the normative democratic roles associated with a healthy public sphere.

Authors

• Andrew James Williams, Cardiff U - JOMEC

• Dave Harte, Birmingham City U

• Jerome Turner, Birmingham City U