POLIS Hyperlocal News: After the Hype

A Polis Report By Carina Tenor Contents Introduction

Introduction 1 This paper sets out some of the In the Nordic countries, where Community News Network (ICNN), characteristics of hyperlocal with legacy media still has a strong, the early network Talk About Local, Executive Summary 2 some international comparisons. though declining, local presence, and the media regulator IMPRESS. It shows the limits of the sector the phenomena has also been The innovation foundation NESTA is A Sector of Diversity 3 but also its surprising vitality. noted, both as entrepreneurial local also one of the organisations that has The Cardiff Hub 6 journalism and more as “in-between been taking a strong interest in the Drawing on previous research, it poses media” – a semi-professional layer hyperlocal sector. So what can we learn Centres in the Nordic countries 8 questions about possible directions between personal blogging and from the experiences and development of travel to key people with insight legacy media (Hujanen, 2017). of the hyperlocal news sector in the The hype and the reality 8 into the UK’s hyperlocal news sector. UK? We will look at expectations and Internet economy 9 In this report we will take a closer challenges both in the past and for the It does not claim to be a look at some of the actors in the future, and also discuss some views Local journalism and filling the news gap 9 comprehensive survey, more an UK like the Centre for Community on how to best support the sector. attempt to identify trends and to Journalism (C4CJ), the Independent Community cohesion 9 stimulate innovation and debate. Challenges 10 What strikes me looking at the UK from Expectations for the future 11 a Swedish perspective, is the sense that media industry commentators Life after the hype 12 are surprised at the innovation and resilience in the sector. Small, The future 12 community-orientated websites that Conclusions 12 popped up 5–10 years ago, seemingly out of nowhere, provided a counter- example to the doom and gloom surrounding the local newspaper industry with its cutbacks, increasing owner concentration, and highly commercial approaches. Some go so far as to describe hyperlocals as an opposing trend to a British tradition of top-down media. Now people were taking matters in their own hands, using their creativity and feeling for their local community to share views and information. Hyperlocals are of course an international phenomenon. In America, independent online news sites have a longer tradition. As city and local papers closed it was seen as a possible future business model for local news. This may have been overly optimistic, but now we see some impressive initiatives targeting funding, such as News Revenue Hub in San Diego and democracy projects, like Local News Labs in New Jersey.

1 Executive Summary A Sector of Diversity

As commercial mainstream local news faced increasing financial pressures over the last decade, some people hoped that The label hyperlocal is put on a broad Emma Meese, C4CJ new digital technologies would facilitate the growth of independent ‘hyperlocal’ online news to fill the gaps. This sector range of different motivations, skills, of small community news providers uses digital tools and platforms to report from places and in forms that commercial business models, and geographical settings – even platforms. Some media outlets do not. After a first phase of enthusiasm they struggled to spread widely but now there are signs that hyperlocal publishers are journalists, they have become part of an emerging local media system that cannot be ignored. Increased collaboration; starting a some are local citizens wanting to representative body; lobbying for shares of statutory notices; partnerships with the BBC; a lot has happened in recent years celebrate their community, and others in UK hyperlocal. start from campaigning against the local council and then broaden their coverage. “Each one is different, each one is a very locally tailored product, as it should be” says journalist and could understand what was going researcher Rachel Howells. She started on”, he says. Perrin experimented Port Talbot Magnet with journalist with what was then a quite new Accountable journalism: colleagues in 2009 in a Welsh town technology and set up a blog: There are examples of hyperlocal that had just lost its local newspaper. news fulfilling normative roles Business opportunity: Looking for a new job, they thought “I was astonished with Both William Perrin and Rachel Howells attributed to journalism. There When hyperlocals try to fund of the start-up as a win-win. But after combined their own experiences with are also actors trying to promote their journalism, they face the seven “precarious, but never dull” years, how successful this a broader knowledge of the sector. In professionalisation and media same challenges as traditional the Magnet was closed in 2016. was, first in the role of 2009 Perrin founded the public service ethics in the hyperlocal sector, media: How to get readership to Democratic value: project Talk About Local, and later Money will probably never be just networking between such as IMPRESS and C4CJ. pay and competition from actors One of the early British sites, Kings shifted his focus even more towards the overruling drive to start a There might be local exceptions, like Google and Facebook. The Cross Environment was launched by local people, and then consulting for people and organisations hyperlocal journalism venture. but on the whole, it is unlikely limited human resources in a William Perrin in London in 2005. His interested in hyperlocal online news. Some people will run a site as I started by accident to that the resources to perform microbusiness and the difficulty of motivation was never to be a local Howells, while working as a hyperlocal a hobby, others aim to make accountable journalism or to scaling also makes the challenge journalist, but to find a way to network write in a form that was editor, did her PhD on the democratic a (modest) living and grow. act as a Fourth Estate will ever greater for the hyperlocal sector. the community together, “so people a bit like journalism.” deficit in a town with no newspaper in Some just want to mirror the become comparable to traditional On the other hand, this is a 2015, and has also researched the local local community. Despite media. On the other hand: sector of innovation, and the news industry in Wales with Cardiff various ambitions, they all 1 there is a difference between most resilient hyperlocals have University lecturer Andy Williams . contribute to media plurality. nothing and something. multiple revenue streams. Perrin and Howells can be said to represent two different starting points, but with local democracy as a common factor. Another example is Jack Davies, Support requires resources: Work with the sector as a whole: who started Tongwynlais.com in 2012, In order to support independent grassroots publishing or Networks, like the Talk About Local un-conferences, are and describes his motivation as more microbusinesses of journalism, someone has to put up valuable to create identity and strengthen the sector. of a creative urge. The site covers the resources. This could be staff funded by other actors Working with preconditions for the sector as a whole is a small village with 2,000 residents who can work with networks, training and technical or also more rewarding, since the field is very inconstant. outside of Cardiff. Davies did not business solutions for the sector as a whole. Support C4CJ, as well as News Revenue Hub in San Diego, USA, know anything about the place until he could also mean money: State subsidies, charitable want to work systematically with the sector in for example moved there. At first he just wanted to funding, and so on. Support could be directed towards training and development or providing actual resources put the village on the map for tourists, encouraging quality journalism or access to independent such as Wordpress templates. The hyperlocal publisher when “it just snowballed, soon I was local information in various geographical settings. is most likely fully occupied with creating content and meeting parents and so on. If I hadn’t revenue streams, with little time for everything else. Via done this, I wouldn’t know a fraction of these hubs, parties interested in supporting the sector the people I know now”, he says. But can do so indirectly – be it the government, funders or he has no intentions of turning the site other organisations concerned with local democracy. into a business, the population is too

Dr Andy Williams

1 Their forthcoming book on the subject is ‘The decline of local newspapers and the rise of online community news’.

2 3 “They needed affirmation, a sense of community; that they were not crazy – a lot of them would often small for a commercial news service, “Quite a lot of people None of the people above can be Like the UK, there are many examples say they thought they and the main purpose is still to give said to be The Typical Hyperlocal of amateurs or semi-professionals were. The purpose himself a meaningful and creative always ask me, what’s Publisher. No hyperlocal really is starting hyperlocal sites in Sweden. leisure activity, and a change from next for Caerphilly ‘typical’. Scratch the surface, and you The hyperlocals might start in a of the networking his day job as a software developer. Observer, are you going often get a very personal and unique depopulated area or a growing city, was never to create a story. I have often been fascinated aiming for information or journalism, formal organisation Richard Gurner, the founder of to go into other areas by the very different circumstances stories or news alerts, as a business or Caerphilly Observer is perhaps best of Wales, am I going that can lead to an actual start-up. I a non-profit project, by one enthusiast or a co-op, but more described as a local news entrepreneur. will share two examples from Sweden or a group of people or an association. of “a pat on the back, Like Rachel Howells, he is also a trained to have this empire? of incidents leading to hyperlocals There are also more commercially and experienced journalist. He was And I always say that I challenging traditional media. orientated ventures, such as the a group hug, a cup working as an employed journalist in don’t want to do that, I Swedish company 24Journalistik AB, of tea, here’s some another area of Britain, but was looking Jakob Karlsson was a local print a growing chain of hyperlocal outlets, other people like for new opportunities and to return just want to be a local newspaper journalist, also playing ice now partly owned by Sweden’s largest to his hometown. Community online journalist. You know, hockey at a professional level. When local newspaper group Mittmedia. you, you can chat.” news was his original business idea, transferred to a new ice hockey team, that later turned into a printed weekly. if I am staying up late he needed additional flexibility in his But despite all the variety of models Gurner managed to get an EU grant for Monday nights, Tuesday work. Unable to strike a satisfying and motives, a strong personal developing businesses in rural areas, nights, and then do the deal with his employer he quit his job feeling for the local area seems and thanks to a variety of revenue at the local newspaper. However, only to be the common factor2. Even streams, runs a viable award-winning deliveries on a Thursday, playing ice hockey gave him spare Jack Davies, initially only aiming to newspaper with a small number of I’ll do that because of time, and at first he started a non-profit build a tourist site, soon became an employees. However, Gurner does not blog, covering local issues. This led to actor of community information. describe his motivation as commercial: the job satisfaction. another idea, and half a year later, he It gives me a great recruited two partners from his former Even though it is hard to talk about satisfaction when work place, and set up an online news the hyperlocal practitioners as business competing with his former a homogenous group of people, people come around to employer. As a self-employed journalist networking is mentioned as one me and say: I read your he can decide for himself when and important identity builder. In 2009, where to work. Having his income as a William Perrin, launched the first newspaper. Because professional sportsman also comes in Talk About Local “un-conference”. they are members handy when launching a new business. 100 people arrived to the meeting in Richard Gurner, Caerphilly Observer of my community, Stoke-On-Trent, and the gathering Another story from Sweden is the became an annual one. I grew up here.” local journalist Berit Önell, working for decades at a local newspaper in the The original purpose of Talk About small town of Hässleholm. When her Local was not networking as such. It investigative reporting led to a conflict was a project to get people around the with local power, her employer wanted UK more digital-savvy, encouraging to solve the tension by moving her to the set-up of local information sites in another local newsroom. When she their communities. But when traveling refused, Berit Önell’s only option was the country, Perrin and his colleagues to leave the newspaper. But soon encountered a surprising number of she discovered an overwhelming tiny local websites already operating. In support from people, both local and return, many of them were pleased to national, for campaigning journalism learn that they were not alone. Looking and free speech. She now runs what back, William Perrin still thinks that the is probably the only hyperlocal in real value added by Talk About Local Sweden that is mainly crowdfunded. was bringing together the people who were already running local sites:

2 Leckner, Tenor and Nygren, 2017

4 5 But the purpose is also to “advocate The Cardiff Hub and lobby on behalf of independent Centres in the Nordic news publishers across the country and fi ght for better opportunities for all.” countries Rachel Howells describe the ICNN members as one layer of the hyperlocal sector – the ones that are trying Cardiff University launched the C4CJ of being in a journalist school, but in to be professional and trying to do in 2013, arguably at the height of the a semi-attached way”, says Meese. In both Sweden, Finland (Helsinki) traditional journalism, but funding it “The thought had never ‘hype’ around hyperlocal. But what and Norway (Bodø), university centres in a different way. She also sees them makes the centre interesting, is the As in the case with Talk About Local, for local and hyperlocal journalism struck me before, as “kicking against hegemonization continuity and the close links to both C4CJ was initially targeting holes, are being discussed. In association across traditional news”: that UBRO is a part journalism training and media research. trying to encourage local people to set with a research project on Hyperlocal The idea of a centre for new forms of up news sites from scratch. This was publishing, we had the opportunity to of the Swedish media local news providers came from Justin later abandoned as it was found to be “The network gives a invite Swedish hyperlocals to a network landscape. UBRO's small Matt Abbott, C4CJ Lewis, professor of Communication more effective to work with people bit of lobbying clout, meeting at Södertörn University, one-man operation at Cardiff School of Journalism, already engaged and the sector as Stockholm in May 2017. Afterwards, Media and Cultural Studies, to help a whole. Today C4CJ, staffed with and there is loads of one of the participants wrote: suddenly became a make a difference in an important 2.4 employees, work more closely common ground. There keg in a big machinery, fi eld. Emma Meese, manager of the with a network of approximately 40 such as developing Wordpress tools C4CJ, describes the original drive as grass-root Welsh publishers, but for news publishing or an online are conditions out there a piece of a puzzle in investing in the future, by trying to also networking and training on a UK template for readers’ complaints that one individual a whole, a legitimate nurture a new kind of local journalism level. At the same time, the centre has that all can use. To inform and lobby hyperlocal can’t change, belonging to something instead of mourning the past. One of provided access to study “an informal, outside the sector has also become an the fi rst arrangements was to set up fragmented, hard-to-reach, and increasingly important role for C4CJ. but if we could change very big and important.” a fi ve week online platform course geographically distributed community it for everybody, it would One example is the lobbying to for hyperlocal publishing. This drew of practice” as Andy Williams puts it. make a big difference, interest on a global level. To date, increase access to the BBC Local News 32,000 learners in 130 countries have The diversity is a challenge, and C4CJ Partnership Scheme – which funds such as having rules A rural Nordic community undergone this MOOC supervised aim to fi nd practical contributions 150 local democracy reporters. In the that mean you could from Cardiff. “We have made the most that the majority can benefi t from, end this led to four hyperlocals getting the BBC funding in 2017, while another go report and record 25 hyperlocals could partner with the council meetings, or BBC to receive content. Matt Abbott, the other staff member at C4CJ, says broadcast council that the robust complaint system meetings, because provided by C4CJ was one important aspect of the deal-making during authorities have different negotiations around collaborating rules [about] what they with the BBC. And competition is allow. Also widening good in order to keep traditional media working hard as well. However, the the defi nitions of what BBC project has been criticized for the a newspaper is in order bureaucratic structure and the fact that a lot of the funding will go to the to allow the hyperlocals three major regional press groups. to compete for council advertising – a change At the beginning of 2018, Independent Community News Network, ICNN, like this across the UK was launched. ICNN has a more would immediately open formal structure than the C4CJ doors for hyperlocals network, and started after months of discussion and preparation. There are everywhere.” now 72 members, including Bristol Cable, Wrexham.com, West Leeds Dispatch, the Caerphilly Observer and the Lincolnite. They all adhere to an ethical code, and through the Cardiff hub gain access to free consultancy services, including media law.

Hyperlocals in Wales

6 7 The hype and the reality Local journalism and filling Community the news gap cohesion

Hyperlocals excite many hopes for wider benefits. These various framings have been summarized as “a potential Despite hopeful statements in the even though Birmingham is already William Perrin started Kings Cross saviour of local journalism, an emergent public, as early as 2012 it was remarked relatively well-served by mainstream Environment in order to network area of the internet economy and a that the digital newcomers’ potential local media, including the BBC. In these the community together. “You can´t mechanism to strengthen community to perform accountability journalism cases, the newcomers are providing an do community activity if you can´t cohesion”3 But what hopes are actually remained unclear.5 Andy Williams, alternative rather than a replacement. communicate,” he says. In this sense, realistic? William Perrin describes his lecturer at Cardiff University, has you can put a certain democratic reactions to the talk of hyperlocals researched the hyperlocal content of The local economy obviously affects value label on hyperlocal publishing as the future of journalism in 2012: hyperlocal news in the UK, and says the ability to run a viable news only by its mere existence. To that while some could be described as business. “The hyperlocals that have mirror a community on everyday “We thought: This is local journalism, much of the content is succeeded are in areas with a mix of issues can help create a sense slightly crazy. These partial, amateurish and trouble-making enough people and enough money in of place, a localness to the area, or just descriptive, banal and mundane. the system – but that will not always and make citizens connect. little websites are great, be the places where journalism is but none of them are So what hope is there for areas where most needed to give people a voice Andy Williams says that not everything local media pull out for cost-efficiency or to spread knowledge” says Rachel has to be judged by the criteria of really ever going to be reasons? Katherine Geels, working with Howells. She has seen this mirrored traditional journalism to have a value big, established things media innovation at Digital Catapult and in Port Talbot – where news about the for the public sphere. He sees that that have the capacity to #DInewslab, has encountered the field big steel factory dominating the town hyperlocals sometimes act in ways of hyperlocals from different angles, for might even be on the national news, that might be more identified with hold the state to account example in a project for the innovation but there is no coverage of what it the histories and cultures of social and so on. They can do foundation Nesta: “We actually found means locally. Port Talbot was once a and political activism: “It is peoples’ that to some degree, but less and less evidence that they are “treasure island” with five newspapers, own acts of self-expression and self- filling that kind of gap” she says. but since The Magnet was shut down, construction. And that is something they will never have the She gives the example Birmingham there is no independent journalism, quite marvellous about the ability to amount of money that Updates that has grown quite quickly, only a weekly politician’s newsletter. publish online, without any significant barrier.” He also thinks that people the old local newspapers in the communities who read these used to have, that is local blogs, journalistic or not, are not not going to happen – thinking of them as hyperlocal, they are just thinking of them as a source of maybe with one or two Internet economy information that is a part of their daily tiny exceptions, but not or weekly diet of news and information. for the vast majority.”

Even though there are a lot of examples spotters were right in assuming a of innovation and ingenuity, studies future for hyperlocal adverts – but on hyperlocals are full of examples of most of that local revenue has gone to underperforming business models, the digital giants Facebook and Google. self-exploitation and failing ventures.4 Today, looking at this precarious sector, Richard Gurner of Caerphilly Observer it is perhaps hard to understand the gives the example of a new restaurant hype around hyperlocal journalism opening in his area. It put one ad in his as a future business model in the US paper, and did the rest of the marketing some ten years ago. The prediction through social media. Gurner actually was that hyperlocal online advertising considers some of the local advertising would provide a very substantial as an expression of support rather than financial return for local journalism marketing, because people know him sites. Looking back, you could say and find the local weekly important. Kings Cross that Jeff Jarvis and other media trend

4 van Kerkhoven & Bakker, 2014; Harte, Turner, & Williams, 2016; Naldi & Picard, 2012. 3 Harte, Turner and Williams, 2016. 5 Sirkkunen & Cook, 2012.

8 9 Challenges Expectations for the future

Funding, sustainability and visibility The particular challenge for grassroots Among hyperlocals, there are also There are clear differences between “We can try and promote – these were the challenges set out media is the difficulty to expand to new examples of non-monetary revenues what the still relatively powerful big in a Nesta study on hyperlocals by areas. Hyperlocal news is described or in kind support, such as volunteers local news companies can do and journalistic values and Damian Radcliffe in 2012. And the by Perrin as a craft product. “It’s investing their time, the trading of these smaller players. Hyperlocals that is something we challenge of sustainability is also very much a high intellectual value- services and collaborations. For should be viewed as a counterbalancing try to do here at the larger than funding, stresses Emma ad, networking value-ad, high-value example, Blog Preston has its website contribution, thinks Jonathan Heawood Meese, manager of C4CJ: “It means content, to create, but it does not scale, hosted by a local web developer.6 founder and CEO of the independent C4CJ here in Cardiff. that if someone is on holiday or being because the skill is doing in detail in However, compared to five years press regulator IMPRESS. IMPRESS But something we also hit by a bus and ends up in hospital, your local patch, not the ability to add ago, Geels sees the same barriers regulates independent news publishers the hyperlocal can still go on.” She another patch on it,” he says. Another today for the hyperlocal publishers: – such as investigative platforms, try to do is not to force knows many hyperlocals to be difficulty is that in order to become a business news and small publishers people, or twist people vulnerable in that sense too, with strong successful entrepreneur, you have to “The problem is to based in a targeted geographical into being a certain kind dependency on one single person. market the product – not often a core area. Jonathan Heawood says that journalist skill. On the other hand, this find sustainability and he meets a lot of inspired, passionate of local journalist. If they The question of funding and is a sector with examples of innovation, resilience, how to be and good journalists that want to do don’t want to, we are accountable journalism is, of course, and the most resilient hyperlocal local journalism outside the corporate happy to support people connected. In their chapter on news operations have a lot of different found and being relevant news industry. From his perspective, Hyperlocal news in The Sage Handbook revenue streams. Richard Gurner for in all the noise.” what is important is that people can kind of in a variety of of Digital Journalism, Andy Williams and example provides copywriting servies access high quality journalism from different ways that are Dave Harte (2016) point out that the to businesses, does freelance work different sources, and with different sector’s potential to sustain journalistic for national newspapers, and for the political views. Plurality is good – suitable to the aims and standards of independence and critical British Medical Association, working but not enough without standards, goals and motivations of reporting in the long run depends on its as a Wales correspondent for BMA he says. In his opinion, hyperlocal whoever is doing this.” finances. Even though there are other News on a regular basis since 2012. publishing should help democracy areas in the UK built on voluntarism, and the public sphere, with basic Williams says that some hyperlocals this is viewed as a fragile solution. standards of accuracy and ethics. will become more professional in their approach, even if they did not start out would start on Instagram instead of When hyperlocals try to fund their Cardiff University’s Andy Williams that way. Richard Gurner was a trained setting up a blog. In Sweden we came journalism, they face the same says that supporting the sector and experienced journalist when he across both trajectories; one of a local challenges as traditional media: how to will involve training people to be started Caerphilly Observer, but he still Facebook page leading to a hyperlocal get readership to pay and competition more journalistic, but only if that describes a journey from publishing online news start-up (Battrestadsdel. from actors like Google and Facebook is what they want. In other cases from a laptop in the spare bedroom to se) and the opposite (Bagisbloggen.se). for advertising. Katherine Geels says they will just provide support on running a small newsroom, leading to that the increasing importance of social legal matters and technology for more courageous publishing on local The latter is also an example of how media platforms has been a double- self-publishing in a difficult and crime or holding power to account. a succesful hyperlocal site perhaps edged sword for hyperlocals as well as uncertain digital environment: can spark off a renewed interest traditional media, leading to less native Even when people are trying to make a from traditional media. Anders visits to websites directly – but on the living out of their hyperlocal journalism, Engström founded Bagisbloggen other hand, provides new opportunities. the expectations of “the hyperlocal together with fellow neighbours in “So the question is more, how can you spirit” is often implicitly a less a city district of Stockholm in 2009. use social media in a constructive commercially driven enterprise. Mary When they experienced increased way to put out a story?” she says. Walter-Brown, working with the News coverage from the local newspaper, Revenue Hub, says that a lot of the they did not feel the need to maintain news companies in the US today are a standalone hyperlocal site any NGOs, and she expects more of them to more. Since 2017 it has only existed be in the future. This does not exclude as a local Facebook page. the idea of local quality journalism done by properly paid professionals.

But if the purpose is to share information and not to create revenues, social media could perhaps be said to have challenged the old blog-centred idea of the hyperlocal site. UK pioneer William Perrin says that if he were to start something in order to network the community together today, he 6 nesta.org.uk

10 11 Life after the hype

Hyperlocals as a term for mostly new, bit of a trend, is that blogging from local a close eye on its development: “Will online approaches to providing local areas increased a couple of years ago. they have to become commercial news has been used since the mid- But it certainly hasn’t died out at all” to be able to survive? Will they need 2000s. The phenomena caught a lot she says. She also sees things starting state subsidies?” Perrin describes the of initial, but also passing attention: to change with communities and journey of hyperlocal websites as a “The ‘hyperlocal’ hype was “ballooning communication in a larger perspective, circle: “Strong interest in the beginning, and popping”, to use the words of not only locally. For example in the lots of people will come into it, and an Poynter Institute’s Matt Thompson.7 form of independent co-ops built on awful lot of falling out of it, of churn, as its digital communities, like Positive people don’t succeed. But then there Katherine Geels sees categorizing News a publication that promotes is a core of fabulous sites, like On the small independent media businesses, ‘constructive’ or ‘solutions’ journalism White and Brixton Blog. Some of them community news and the blogger as an alternative to mainstream news. struggle from year to year, financially; type under the same label as a bit they are quite open about that.” restrictive – but she still sees a future Jonathan Heawood sees a tension for independent publishing: “The flip within the sector, and thinks that for side of having been a buzz word and a the next 5-10 years we should keep

The future Conclusions

Even though hyperlocals can be I do not doubt that the experiences So, after the hype, it is important described as a new animal in the news of an organisation like ICNN can to adjust expectations. Instead of ecology, they have to survive in the provide valuable insights across projecting false hopes, it is important to same environment that challenges nations. Could there be specific ad study the research and the empirically legacy media. A digital start-up today organizations working for hyperlocal informed evidence, especially for requires fewer resources, but survival journalists? Could there be a local policymakers and people with influence and development is another question. service charge from developers on the future of news and democracy. to fund local news production? There are several ways to support When working on this report, a lot financial sustainability and accountable of people have asked me for good Andy Williams describes the hyperlocal journalism within the sector, as well examples, or more specifically how sector as more than just journalism. as acknowledge democracy values a certain hyperlocal has succeeded He does not exclude the idea of in a broader sense. To quote Andy or been helped by a centre or a supporting certain kinds of hyperlocal Williams: “I think the hyperlocal sector network. But perhaps it is time to news, which are fulfilling useful social should be celebrated for what it is, finally give up the preconception of a and political and democratic purposes, and not denigrated for what it is not.” silver bullet solution, a role model or a with public subsidies: “We should be recipe that could be applied broadly. targeting any, certainly public money, to The people that have worked more newer players. We should be opening closely with this sector embrace the up the existing public subsidies diversity and its own potential, and that are finding their ways into the importance of a place-to-place shareholders’ pockets from the large approach. Networking may strengthen legacy newspapers at the moment. sustainability, lobbying may increase About the Author: financial preconditions, education may Perrin also thinks the funding available Carina Tenor is a Swedish newspaper increase quality and press regulations will be an important factor for the journalist, researcher and teacher in journalism accountability. But a lot of these future, or as he puts it: free money. In at Södertörn University, Stockholm. She sites will come and go due to their his experience the most efficient way was a LSE Research Fellow as part of Polis’ own personal or local conditions. forward is to fund hyperlocals with partnership with Journalistfonden in 2017. small grants: “You will have some loose Therefore, the most interesting criteria attached to it, but you are just Editors: discussion will be how to promote giving the money to do something as if Charlie Beckett and Julia Ziemer independent and local publishing as a they were a charity. We learnt that from Design: whole. Even though there are different the work we did with Carnegie UK Trust LSE Design Unit (lse.ac.uk/designunit) conditions in different countries, and the Neighbourhood News Project.” 7 poynter.org, 2013.

12 Polis Department of Media and Communications The London School of Economics and Political Science Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7107 5176

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