Digital storytellers, meet hyperlocalists

by Joni Ayn Alexander on June 19, 2011

A few months ago, I asked a few hyperlocal people to share some of their best “digital stories”. What they pointed to looked nothing like the 2-minutes-and-a-bit first-person-narrative videos that the #DS6 digital storytellers have developed.
Will Perrin pointed out Spitalfields Life. Joe Stashko shared Blog Preston’s EDL/UAF demo coverage. Nicky Getgood told me about her [...]

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Why I signed the #daftarrest blogger’s e-petition

June 19, 2011

After last week’s #daftarrest of Carmarthenshire blogger Jacqui @caebrwyn Thompson for filming a council meeting, I put my name on this petition. (I don’t ever do this. In fact, this is the only petition I’ve ever signed.)
Simply put, I think elected officials who invite the public into their public meetings, should also welcome [...]

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Hyperlocal news needs more than a network

March 18, 2011

Scaling up can help hyperlocalists stay strong and sustainable. This can be found in a network, which Journal Local’s founder Philip John blogged about this week. Then he pointed out some of these networks existing in the UK, headlining that they showed “the US how it should be done”. I agree with quite a bit [...]

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Who are Seattle’s hyperlocalists?

March 15, 2011

I’m fascinated with Seattle’s hyperlocal media. (Judging by the American report on the State of the Media 2011, I’m not alone. The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism just released a special report on Seattle as a case study for new media.) And to answer the question in the headline, I don’t really [...]

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Towards a definition of “hyperlocal” news… to be determined

February 25, 2011

With the unraveling of TBD.com came a camp of criticism from all sides. Most interesting — to me — was the label the site was branded: hyperlocal. Is a news organisation that covers the Washington D.C. metro area really hyperlocal?
[View the story "Towards a definition of "hyperlocal" news... to be determined" on Storify]

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How to be a ‘portfolio journalist’ without losing the plot

February 18, 2011

Last October, I left the newsroom to become a ‘portfolio journalist‘. Eh? you say. Give up a full-time job in this economic climate? But I did. And in replacing one job, I took on three and a full-time PhD.
Six months later, I’ve learned a few lessons:
Lesson 1 Burnout isn’t exclusive to the newsroom. Try juggling [...]

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Face it. Hyperlocal needs Facebook

February 9, 2010

I [heart] Twitter. Such a simple service with so much power. But it just hasn’t won me over the way a certain, special social network has. There are just so many more friendly people, fun games, interesting pictures, and gifts. It’s so complex, and full of character. You know which one I’m talking about: Facebook.
Twitter may [...]

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Click where? Journalists clamour to capture your Cardiff news

February 4, 2010

If I had days-of-the-week knickers, Monday would have yourCardiff emblazoned on the bum. Tuesday would sport CaptureCardiff. Wednesday would go to ClickonWales. Thursday? Friday? Saturday? I’m waiting to find out who else will launch a news site this week. Everyone wants a bit of action.
If the capital of Wales was ever in need of more news, that void [...]

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Local live tweeting: “We’ve never had to deal with this before”

February 2, 2010

Two, trainee journalists furiously peck out and publish their notes straight to Twitter. They’re sat in a civic society meeting in the Llandaff ward of Cardiff. Advertised on the High Street notice board, the sign read open to everyone. So they paid the £1 donation to get through the door of the parish hall. They introduced themselves to members of [...]

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