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PowerPoint Presentation

Supported by Cardiff University Engagement Projects

Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddWhat next for community journalism?9 September 2015

#CJ15

CU-Visitor Code: CJ15

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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddProfessor Hywel ThomasPro-Vice Chancellor Cardiff University#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddProfessor Stuart AllanHead of School of Journalism, Media and Cultural StudiesSara MoseleyProject lead at C4CJ, Cardiff University

#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddDan GillmorProfessor of Practice, Walter CronkiteSchool of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University

Faculty Associate, Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddDamian RadcliffeDigital analystHonourary Fellow, Cardiff University#CJ15


5Emerging evidence in the UKDamian Radcliffe, Honorary Research Fellow, JOMEC

6Where we wereNesta launches Here and Now in 2012

Accompanies launch of Destination Local programmeStrong on case studies and analysisShortage of data and facts

We have learned lots since then

7Market Size

8Content Analysis

9Publisher Survey

10Civic, Public and Journalistic value

11But challenges remainSustainabilityFinancial PersonnelProfile and RecognitionDiscoverability Relationships with traditional media, politicians and regulatorsAccess to non-financial resources and services

Image: http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2010/1008/360_lweb_0802.jpgAnd: https://ajhalls.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/laraking-files-wordpress-com.jpg12

Underpinned by the financial reality 13

Solutionshttp://www.virtualsocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Social-media-research-services.jpghttp://cuppa-pa.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/shutterstock_77292175.jpghttp://www.trbimg.com/img-52117617/turbine/la-afp-getty-us-it-internet-telecom-tablet-microso-20130818/600/600x454http://www.wirral-internet.co.uk/incl/frontend/img/solutions/connecting-communities.png14ResearchMore of the same please = longitudinal analysis

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/18/article-2175594-0272ADBC000005DC-254_468x314.jpghttp://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/telecoms-research/Internet_Citizens_Report_14.pdf page 5015Policy

16Industry: Tech

17Industry: BBC

18Industry: Commercial Media

19No silver bulletThanks for listeningwww.twitter.com/damianradcliffewww.damianradcliffe.com

But collectively can make a difference

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/8c/80/c6/8c80c6d93cbe688721b6da886bb65328.jpg20


Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddKathryn GeelsProgramme ManagerDestination Local, Nesta#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddInnovation showcaseCollaboration#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddAnthony SheehanFounderNear You Now#CJ15


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Near You NowIdentifies the most relevant stories for each unique customerBased on where they are and the places that matter most to themEstablishes a new layer of metadata for every articleReal-time relevance scoringAggregate publishers own & 3rd party stories, social media, open dataOutput personalised feeds, widgets and push notifications

Collaborative Platform for Local News & InfoLondoners can see most relevant local stories from multiple sourcesSupport from NESTA & Innovate UKHighly-commended in Digital Innovation of the Year at 2015 News Awardswww.london24.com

ChallengesVolume of contentMobile presentationUX to share locationScale & Business ModelInfluencing Social Referrals

OpportunitiesLarge regionals not resourced to cover everywhereLosing local voice and connectionNever been easier to start a community siteSocial VideoLocal DataNative Advertising & Content Marketing

Anthony [email protected]@anthony_sheehan


Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddDaniel IonescuCo-founderThe Lincolnite#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddMartin WrightInnovation Project ManagerAppello

Neville HigmanInnovation Lead, Adult Social Care, Dorset County Council#CJ15


31Hello

Martin WrightInnovation Project ManagerAppello

Neville HigmanInnovation LeadDorset County CouncilWho we are, companies project name32

Trust

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What matters

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Independence

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Connectedness

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Hyperlocal

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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddLee HickenCreative DirectorHebe Works#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddInnovation showcaseDigital#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddSimon PerryCo-founderOn the Wight#CJ15


40Innovation at OnTheWightA quick run-through of some of the innovations that weve carried out at OnTheWight

To inform readers as well as we can ... And to keep ourselves amused@SimonPerry

Noteshttp://wig.ht/cardiff2015

Background on OnTheWight10th year24k+ articles 120k+ commentsUniques peaking at 100k/month(Pop. 140k. 66k households)@SimonPerry


Live council reporting (2007)

@SimonPerry


Live school status in snow (2010)

@SimonPerry


Live transport snow updates (2010)Recruiting a sales personSales is a different mindsets to writingSelection; Approach; Pitch; Close All takes timeAs does account handlingTipsDon't pick just on personality Not enoughYou need a 'closer' with proven track record

@SimonPerry


Armchair Auditor

@SimonPerry


Live election coverage - National

@SimonPerry


Live election coverage - Local

@SimonPerry


Dedicated mobile version

@SimonPerry


WhatsApp distribution

@SimonPerry


Live analytics in the corner

@SimonPerry


Augmented print publication

@SimonPerry


Auto news production

@SimonPerry


Thank youOnTheWighthttp://OnTheWight.com

Simon Perry@SimonPerry

Supplementary noteshttp://wig.ht/cardiff2015@SimonPerry



Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddEmma MeeseCentre Manager at C4CJCardiff University#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddMiljenko WilliamsFounder@chestertweet#CJ15


56Returning search to its rootsa short presentation on the implications of hyperlocal search engine technologiesMy name is Miljenko Williams When asked to define what I do, I tend to say blogger, proofreader and language trainerBut I think what I really like to do is (maybe) waste my time, wondering how technologies could truly empower ordinary people and communitiesReturning search to its roots

Ever since hunter-gatherer times, search has been a highly prized skillset.

Productive.

Local.

Tasty, even.

But in particular, involving considerable degrees of intelligence, imagination, intuition and creativity.

Returning search to its roots

In the beginning, search was good ...

Well, maybe not that good.

I must admit I don't remember Altavista like this.

Google's spoiled us, I guess.In 1998, search was better ...

As we can see ...Though even in 2001, search RESULTS looked like this!

So have they turned us into truffle-finding pigs working for them more than us?Alternatively, maybe, a case of rose-tinted search on my part?Or do we need to make search work more for us? Can we take back control?Check this out ...

We have 12 search results in the first view of a standard-sized laptop monitor.

Logged in, using my search history, 9 search results are advertisements from around the country and only three are organic results: ie there on their own merits.

Curiously, none is from Chester, even though Google knows I live there (I actually didn't expect that).

Anyone got a mobile phone?

:-) Go, logged in, to your Google, type in food banks and see what result you get.

What do you get?Now compare with chester.one ...

Using Google's very own customised search, customised around Chester and the surrounding area, the same search keywords food banks produce very different results.

Implications?

Anyone any ideas?

Well here's a few I've had over the past few months ...

Possible implications of something like chester.one (I)Instead of an atomised, individualised, unshareable search, which may also already be serving to atomise community, we create a search environment which produces exactly the same results for every single person who accesses the data!

Possible implications of something like chester.one (II)A shareable search means:we can create communitywe can both develop society-wide self-perceptions better and control what the outside world sees, says, believes and asks of uswe can build and implement hyperlocal attitudes and behaviours more quickly

Possible implications of something like chester.one (III)A shareable search ultimately means:we can even begin to own the narrativecommunicate our stories without fear of often powerful global interventionsunderstand ourselves better, sooner and more accuratelydefine our own needs, stories and trajectories before others do so on our behalfin essence, empower hyperlocal

How to take back control of hyperlocal-impacting search and information (I)Customise your very own search engineInclude only the URLs that describe your community accurately, fairly and productivelyAlways be open about inclusion criteriaBe proactive, resilient and community-minded in your goals

How to take back control of hyperlocal-impacting search and information (II)But remember: hyperlocal search does not have to be an anti-global, anti-big biz strategy

First and foremost:

it allows you to assertively define your community on its own termsat the same time as providing a window for the outside world to understand you much better; much faster; and much more efficiently

Images used in this presentationSlide 6, courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/searchengineland/2905581056/Screenshots of chester.one search and of google.co.uk search using Miljenko Williams' search history, courtesy of the latter userAll other images, courtesy of Wikipedia CommonsReturning search to its roots

And that's the end of the presentation. But defo not the end of hyperlocal search!

Many thanks for being out there.

Cheers.


Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddInnovation showcaseFunding#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddJamie SummerfieldEditorA Little Bit of Stone#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddGeraldine NicholsContributorRoathCardiff#CJ15


74RoathRemembersA RoathCardiff ProjectFunded by HLF CymruFirst World War: then and now Funding Stream

75The Roath ProspectAlbany Primary School a military hospital, 1914-1919Roath Local History SocietySt Edwards ChurchSt Margarets ChurchWar memorialsWhy did we apply?Existing community websiteGreat community linksAn interest in local history and relationship with Roath Local History SocietyA vision of including many more people in the project than engage with the community site aloneA rare opportunity to get funding for a specific theme that would include a wider range of the local populationSaw the opportunity by chanceApplying for fundingThe same process for volunteers/community groups as those paid to fundraise for organisationsits much more difficult for voluntary groups:Because of: Time OpportunityKnowledge

78The Application FormHeritage Lottery Fund (specifically) its hard! It takes timeAspects to consider being constituted; financial records; full minutes available, holding an AGM Fully accountable its a grant, so you need to be accountable for everything you want to do and pay for usually more exacting than hyperlocal accounts

79The ExperienceThe full grant of 10,000 was awarded to us!Full consultation with fund required eg press, logos, publicityUse of logo, other publicity material at any and all events/press releases etcGuidance/rules on (pretty much) everything HLF has fund recipients area on website to assist with thisA named HLF advisor to help (though with smaller grants, they are not expected to meet with you) but will advise via email very helpfulFeedback phone call

What weve been able to do #1Facilitate, (with funding from us), a fantastic exhibition with Albany Primary School, that has contributed to the Year 6 curriculum in 2014Facilitate the on-going ability for the school to host the exhibition until 2019, via the purchase of costumes and propsInspired the Christmas end of term musical production- WW1 specificProduction of a schools guideWorking with other local schools in the areaWestern Mail/Echo built links for publicity beyond the community news remitWorking with the school to produce a website of their own in 2015

What weve been able to do #2Encourage local people to bring their stories to us to be digitally recorded whether by video interview, spoken interview, image, and/or written contributionsPeoples Collection Wales website will be hosted in perpetuity (including the new school WW1 website)Digital Archive training Peoples Collection Wales (National Library Wales) Involve local libraries in both exhibition and trainingSchool won first prize (all Wales) in Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative in July 2015 and is to participate in their 25th anniversary celebration at the Senedd in September

Why weve been able to do itGetting community support and mutual benefits agreed beforehand: Albany School, Roath Local History Society, The Cardiff Story, Made in Roath, in our caseExisting connections personal, social media, outreachGoing to meetings eg RLHS AGMSocial mediaLinking with other community projectsVisiting/going to others events eg local church events around WW1, Cardiff YMCA exhibitionIs it worth it, for a hyperlocal?Its worth it, but its hard work if youve got other things going onTheres lots of support from the grant-makerIts not only about the project, there will be additional work to satisfy the grant-maker (whoever that is)Take this into account if your site/project is run by volunteers it will usually mean a need to recruit more, specifically for the project. The community already has people involved you will be a facilitator and need to find these peopleFocus on whats important/relevant to your communityDont underestimate the cost in time or moneyFundingHLF Cymru has given us a fantastic opportunityIts completely project-relatedIt doesnt fund our day-to-day expenses, its all additionalButwe couldnt hope to undertake this project, which is integral to the community, without itWe could (and would) have attempted a smaller project without funding, but HLF has expanded our reach and helped us include a far wider community input, and given us the ability to record peoples stories, where they wouldnt otherwise be2014 to 2019Weve done the basicsWere continuing to work with local schools, and have committed to producing a schools packOur website will be online (funded by HLF) until 2019, and then by Peoples Collection WalesWeve expanded volunteering and training opportunities in the Roath areaWeve recorded local social history on our hub, and preserved it, at a time we should be remembering, and as the chances for this are fadingHyperlocal/HyperhistoryExternal funding, not just journalistic, can cross-facilitate Can increase publicity and interest in the main siteHyperhistory can be integral Hyperhistory can lead to bigger, greater, and more meaningful outcomes in the communityLinksRoathCardiff http://roathcardiff.net @roathcardiffRoathRemembers http://roathremembers.net @roathremembersWales Remembers http://www.walesremembers.org/ Heritage Lottery Fund, First World War: then and now http://www.hlf.org.uk/looking-funding/our-grant-programmes/first-world-war-then-and-now Peoples Collection Wales http://www.peoplescollection.wales/ Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative http://www.whsi.org.uk/ ContactRoathCardiff [email protected] [email protected]

Geraldine NicholsEditor, RoathCardiff


Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddWorkshopsCollaboration - Birt Acres (here)Digital - Room 1.20 (upstairs)Funding - Room 0.31a (downstairs)#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddLunchis served (downstairs in the caf)#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddPlenary#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddDr Andy WilliamsSchool of Journalism, Media and Cultural StudiesCardiff University#CJ15


93The Social and Economic Value of Hyperlocal NewsAndy Williams (Cardiff University, @llantwit)Jerome Turner (Birmingham City University)Dave Harte (Birmingham City University)Survey collaborators: Judith Townend, City University; Steve Barnett, Westminster University

Hi Im Andy Williams, and for the last few years Ive been involved with some research into community news with my collaborators Dave Harte and Jerome turner at Birmingham City University (we did a big set of in-depth interviews with producers, and large analysis of community news content) and with Steve Barnett from Westminster and Judith Townend from the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (with whom we worked on a big survey of hyperlocal news producers) Weve been trying to get a broad, overview of hyperlocal news in the UK in terms of its civic value to communities, as well as its economic value and how sustainable it is crucially, we also wanted to be able to COMPARE the emergent hyperlocal news sector with what were losing due to the on-going crisis in the provision of local news by local and regional news publishers In the next 10 minutes Ill give you some our headline findings94What we did: methods Content analysis of UK hyperlocal news. Sample: Posts published on the UKs Openly Local hyperlocal news network blogs, 11 days, May 2012. 3819 posts were published on 313 active websites, we coded every other story: in total, 1941 posts. More info on the sample: http://creativecitizens.co.uk/publications/ Online Survey with UK hyperlocal publishers. We surveyed publishers on the Openly Local network (using the Talk About Local email list, and with personal follow-up emails). 183 responses. Response rate: 1/3 of current best estimate of active HL sites in the network (Harte 2013).Semi-structured telephone interviews with 36 HL producers (from a range of different outlets, geographies, approaches). Covering motivations, workloads, production practices, principal challenges, and economics/sustainability. Average length: 1hr 14mins What did we do? Im going to concentrate on our findings today, because time is limited But we did a very detailed content analysis of almost 2000 stories on 313 active sites; an online survey with 183 respondents looking at working practices, motivations, content, interaction with audiences, resources and sustainability, principal challenges and future plans; and a series of long semi-structured interviews with 36 community news producers covering similar topics.95Who produces UK hyperlocal news?The sector is now reasonably well established (73% of survey respondents have been doing it for more than 3 years).Most (70%) see what they do as a form of active participation in community life, with 57% describing what they do as local journalism, and 55% as active citizenship.Almost half of participants have some form of journalistic training/experience, which suggests an even split between amateurs and pros (or semi-pros).

So what did we find? Firstly, who produces this kind of community news? And how do they describe what they do?The UK hyperlocal news sector is now reasonably well-established, and dominated by players who have achieved a degree of longevity (nearly three quarters of our survey sample have been producing news for over three years around a third for more than five years).Seven out of ten producers see what they do as a form of active community participation, over half see it as local journalism, and over half as an expression of active citizenship. Almost half of our participants also have some journalistic training or experience working in the mainstream media, suggesting that community news producers are fairly evenly split between amateurs with no experience and professionals (or semi-professionals) with direct training or experience.

96What gets covered?n=1941Top topicsFreq.%Community25213.0Politics (Government)22711.7Sport22411.5Crime/Legal (Individual)1346.9Business/ Industry1336.9Environment/ Nature1095.6Entertainment/ Leisure985.0 Geographically-focused, community-oriented form of local news local clubs, societies, leisure time activities covered regularly Lots of coverage of local politics which is declining in mainstream press (mentioned in 27% of posts) Very little coverage of local political activismBut what gets covered? well, we found that the largest category of news in the sample related to local community activities this is, on the whole, a very geographically-focused, community-oriented journalistic form A lot thats written about community in relation to new media stresses how it transcends geographical boundaries but this it strikes me is a cultural form which is remarkably traditional in its focus on the local community these posts about community our biggest category are stories about local non-political interest groups, e.g. WI, community groups, local clubs & societies or stories about community events like: festivals, village fetes, that kind of thing We also have a LOT of stories about local councils local government so a lot of information which, in principle, could be of civic value Using different variables we also tracked how LOCAL this news was and virtually all of it really is local

We also looked at who gets to speak in hyperlocal news?News sources are important indicators of social power who gets to define news events can affect public opinion, bolster their own authority, and assign cultural meaning and as such theyre a key indicator of civic value When we compare these findings with studies of mainstream local news there are some continuities, but also some important differences

Like the commercial local news official sources in government, business, the police are very important here...

but a big difference is the role afforded to members of the public, and to people from local community groups this is higher than in mainstream local news 97Hyperlocals Investigate and Campaign44% of respondents have carried out an investigation which has helped uncover controversial new information about local civic issues or events in last 2 years42% have started their own campaigns, and 72% have publicized the campaigns of others in the same periodIssued varied, but many examples of serious public interest investigations and campaigns were found. They were often effective, helping change things locally.

Campaigning and investigative reporting has traditionally been seen as essential to the democratic roles of news Weve found rich evidence of both in the hyperlocal sector44% of survey respondents have carried out an investigation which has helped uncover controversial new information about local civic issues or events in the last 2 years (n=154)42% of survey respondents have started a campaign where the site has sought to change things locally in the last 2 years (n=159), 72% have joined in, publicised the campaigns of others in the last two years (n=159) The issues being campaigned about varied greatly, but we found examples of serious public interest investigations and campaigns about: public safety, elite corruption, large planning issues, environmental damage as well as many smaller examples around important everyday issues such as local amenities, signage, and smaller planning and licensing events.Theres also a small, but effective, group of hyperlocals who devote themselves almost entirely to critical, investigative, and campaigning work these are a really interesting group.[]Also very encouraging is that fact that these investigations and campaigns were often successful in changing things at a local level. In bringing issues to light, enriching the local public sphere, community news outlets are having a real impact.98How is hyperlocal funded?Around 1/3 participants make money, mostly quite modest amounts: 12% make less than 100 per month (but 13% generate more than 500 per month)Most producers self-fund the running costs of their sites, but around 1 in 4 raise enough cash to at least cover their costs.Advertising is the dominant form of income generation, but a number of other methods are employed. Despite the low proportion of economically successful hyperlocals, 9 out of 10 think they can sustain, or increase, output in the coming year.

Exactly how is all of this work funded?Well, in the main, this is not a very economically rich sector

Around a third of our survey participants make money, mostly quite modest amounts: 12% say they make less than 100 per month, for instance but 13% say they generate more than 500 per month.Most community news producers fund the running costs of their sites from their own pockets, but around one in four raise enough money to cover their costs.Advertising is the dominant form of income generation, but a number of other methods are employed. Despite the low proportion of economically successful community news producers, nine out of ten still think they can sustain, or increase, current levels of output in the coming year.

So weve got a small group of themselves small certainly economically precarious but, crucially, revenue-generating community news startups as well as a much larger group of volunteer-led efforts. Inbetween there are a number of people who were previously hobbyists who are now keen to professionalise and to monetise their sites in different ways.99Alongside the celebration, some notes of cautionA sector based primarily on the volunteer labour of individuals is potentially precarious for (at least) 2 reasons:Many community news ventures are run by individuals or very small teams, and are not guaranteed to survive should key contributors move on; andTheir informal nature, & consequent lack of institutional support (e.g. legal, professional, etc) for news producers, means hyperlocals may struggle to maintain independence and produce critical watchdog news in a sustained way.Theres lots to be encouraged by here, too, then BUTWhen we looked at the economics we couldnt help be struck by many indications of the precarious nature of many community news operations. Professional and personal circumstances change, and these changes often impact upon the time available for community news projects. And because so many are dependent on individuals or small editorial teams theres no guarantee that a news outlet will survive the loss of a key contributor. Im currently thinking through the likely effects of the de-institutionalisation and de-professionalization of news which much community journalism represents and enacts Some argue that widespread voluntarism may be enough to sustain community news into the future as it does in other spheres of UK public life (elements of the justice system, local and community politics, school governance) Others worry that without revenues and more importantly, the profits needed to remunerate people the sector will be too precarious to sustain the kind of institutions which have previously been necessary prerequisites for a strong, independent, and critical local news its brilliant that so many people are conducting such varied, important, and necessary public interest journalism even without the legal and institutional backup and support of a local newspaper and we have evidence that most of them are looking forward to continuing to do so in the short-term Our findings are a reminder that the great majority of community news producers in the UK are not in it for the money But this lack of financial security has potentially serious implications for the medium- to long-term viability of these nascent publications and perhaps also for the security, independence, and sustainability of hyperlocal news publishing as a whole.100And a little perspectiveFrom the start we sought to test hyperlocal news ability to plug holes left by the retreating local newspaper industry.It clearly has the potential to do so in many cases, but we need to retain some perspective.In terms of the numbers of news producers, and the amount of time they can spend on news production, hyperlocal has only very partially plugged growing local news holes.

Another note of cautionAn important element of what we did involved producing findings which allowed us to compare the value of the emergent cultural form of hyperlocal news with that of the (arguably still) dominant output of commercial local newspaper providers.As weve seen, in many respects the comparisons have been quite favourable. But if this comparison is to be a valid one, we also need to try and put our findings on resources and sustainability into some perspective. This can be done, in very crude form, by comparing the numbers of new hyperlocal news producers with the numbers of redundant journalists in an area.Lets take my local area, Cardiff and the surrounding valleys communities traditionally served by Trinity Mirror subsidiary Media Wales. In 1999 the company employed around 700 editorial and production staff. By 2014 this figure had shrunk to fewer than 100. The local journalistic workforce has been decimated in little over a decade.The Centre for Community Journalism in Cardiff University currently lists 25 hyperlocal news operations in the same geographic patch. These are staffed by around 50 community news producers, the vast majority of them working for no pay on a part time basis.In terms of the numbers of news producers, and the amount of time they can spend on news production, hyperlocal has only very partially plugged growing local news holes.

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So, to sum up. UK hyperlocal news, on the whole, is very information-rich, community- and locally-oriented. audiences get locally-sourced stories with strong local news angles. Members of the public and local community groups tend to get more of a say as news sources than in the mainstream local and regional news and official sources in local government, business, and the emergency services still get a platform. These blogs produce a lot of news about politics, civic life, specifically the business of local government (which is an area of life in the UK that has been under-reported as the crisis in local commercial news has developed). And whilst our content analysis findings seem to suggest a lack of critical, investigative, and campaigning news the interviews and surveys yielded clear data to the contrary. Many hyperlocal news producers instigate their own campaigns, cover the campaigns of others, and carry out critical investigations on a wide variety of issues of public concern.Theres a strong tendency among many of these sites to want to produce news that represents their local areas in a positive light, but this does not generally mean they shy away from writing critical stories where necessary. In terms of the economic sustainability of hyperlocal news in the UK, theres also a lot to celebrate:There is a relatively small group of local news entrepreneurs experimenting with hyperlocal news as a commercial venture (principally using an online advertising model as part of a mixture of funding streams some are increasingly turning to free print newspaper models to guarantee a bigger audience for ads).And theres a new generation of online community journalists who provide a necessary and valuable service to many communities on a voluntary basis who enjoy what they do and look forward to carrying on into the near future.But we should remember that this is a cultural form rich in social, civic, and community value, but generally low in economic value which means the medium- to long-term security of the sector, as well as its editorial independence and freedom to be critical, may be endangered in the future.

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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddFrancois NelDirector of Journalism LeadershipUCLan#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddDr Judith TownendDirector of the Information Law and Policy CentreInstitute of Advanced Legal StudiesUniversity of London#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddClare CookSenior Lecturer in Print and Online JournalismUCLan#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddWill Perrin and Mike RawlinsTalk About Local

Douglas WhiteCarnegie UK Trust

#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddInnovation showcaseInvestigative#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddAdam Cantwell-CornFounding memberThe Bristol Cable#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddRay DuffillFounderHedon Blog and HU12 Online#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddDarryl ChamberlainFounder853Blog and Charlton Champion#CJ15


118Freedom of Information Some tips for community journalistsDarryl Chamberlaindarrylchamberlain.co.uk @darryl1974Heres what I do.

853blog.comGreenwich and neighbouringareas in south east London

Covering stories others dont

Holding Greenwich Council and other bodies to accountHeres what I do

charltonchampion.co.ukCommunity news and whats happening in Charlton

Designed to be a neutral forumfor local news and viewsHeres what I do

No to Silvertown Tunnel

Campaign against new roadcrossing of the Thames

New road would increasealready-horrifying levels of airpollution in south-east and east LondonOther media in SE London

News Shopper (Newsquest)Based well outside local areaHas recently lost dedicated local reporters for Greenwich and LewishamPrint edition poorly distributedOther media in SE London

Mercury (Tindle Newspapers)Runs on a skeleton staff, based well outside local areaIs a free paper, yet copies are hard to findTook until summer 2015 to launch a proper website

Other media in SE London

Greenwich Time (Greenwich Council)One of just two council weeklies left in EnglandDistributed to every home in Greenwich boroughGives a rosy glow on local council policies week in, week outThe main playersGreenwich Council my local councilNeighbouring councils such as LewishamTransport for London agency run by elected mayor of London which runs public transport and main roads.Why submit an FOI request?To find out figuresTo see how money is being spentTo find views thatd otherwise be kept secretTo obtain documentsFOI to find out figures

FOI to find out figures

FOI to find out figures

Emirates Air Line FOIAsked for hourly breakdown over a weekAsked for sales of a wide range of ticketsExercise has been repeated over three yearsStory generated London and UK coverageEmirates Air Line FOI

Emirates Air Line FOI

Follow the money

Follow the moneyGreenwich Councils private mayor-making celebration costs 20,000Invite lists reveal its used to schmooze property developers and reward chumsAsking for wine list added colour to storyFollow the money

Section 106 payments on new developments such as supermarkets where do they go?

FOI on new Charlton Sainsburys revealed no cash earmarked for local areaRevealing disagreements

Greenwichs cycling sulkGreenwich Council was only one of 32 London boroughs to refuse to deal with the mayors cycling commissionerThis was based on council leaders personal dislike of the commissioner, controversial journalist Andrew GilliganGreenwichs cycling sulkI asked the Greater London Authority for correspondence between Gilligan and Greenwich CouncilPublishing the documents embarrassed the council into reversing its positionFind out why projects fail

FOI to get documents

FOI to get documentsCouncil-commissioned study into possible Docklands Light Railway extension wasnt published on website, but obtained using FOI.Council cabinet had backed spending money on a follow-up report, but was unwilling to make it public. FOI ensured it was made public.

FOI to get documentsFailed funding applications Audio recordings of council meetingsSafety assessments of public structuresOfficer briefings to elected officials

Opening up consultationsYou can ask for all responses to public consultationsNo to Silvertown Tunnel has entire dataset from 2014 consultation, enabling campaign to map responses and gauge support for schemeSome final thoughts on FOINo two councils are the same some are more open than others.Have a good idea of what you expect to see be as specific as possible in your request

Some final thoughts on FOI

Some final thoughts on FOIWhatDoTheyKnow.com is very useful in enabling you to track your requestsIt also lets you monitor requests to your local council and check nobodys asked for information alreadyBUT others may use your information without crediting you for your researchSome final thoughts on FOIAre there other ways to get your information? Try press office or asking public question at a council meeting.Just ask the more questions you ask, the better your stories will be. Some final thoughts on FOI

Thanks for listening

darrylchamberlain.co.uk @darryl1974


Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddInnovation showcaseData#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddAndy DickinsonResearcher and Senior LecturerLeeds Data Mill and UCLan#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddChris Wells and Paul MackayFolkLabs

Giles GibsonHerne Hill Forum

#CJ15


153What next forcommunity journalism?

The name of this conference is What next for community journalism

We want to share our ideas about what Community Journalism could be

Our vision is in three parts: Data, Deliberation & Damn Good Journalism

DATA

DELIBERATION

DAMN GOOD JOURNALISM

Ideas come from our work with the Neighbourhood Forum in the south London ward of Herne Hill and their neighbours, Vassall and Coldharbour wards

There's a wealth of rich data on Hyperlocal sites which we think is currently not being used

Companies like Facebook and Google take this data and use it to make money for themselves

Data has huge value, whether it is emotional responses and local sentiment, content, interest and attention, whats trending, etc

Vote with your mouse / clicktivism

Data and analytics: sentiment analysis, mapping, monitoring and tracking

Town planners

What does our customer want? Research results and local insights

Neighbourhood planning collating data on issues / priorities is critical

DCLG and Locality

The comments users write on hyperlocal stories should be seen as a special sort of journalistic data

We think they are a new opportunity for local engagement and democracyBut they are fundamentally broken

Tech approach of Stack Overflow, Loomio and DemocracyOS- Voting- Ratings- Rankings- Feedback- Options for display

What is journalism? What has its function been in the past and what might it become in the future?

Where does journalism end and commentary begin?

Should we think of them as being two separate things or separate sides of a conversations?

If everyone can be a citizen journalist then what does that mean?

Is a long discussion thread with voting the same as journalism?

If we think of a discussion thread as a public meeting which happens in cyberspace then does that change the status of comment threads

Curation, facilitation, moderation, editing

Meaningufl analysis and trend graph

Chargable to a third party?

Events API

Sentiment analysis of emotional responsesPlanning ideasVoting and Ranking ideasFavoriting critical turning points in local historyLocal culture and Institutional Memory (for orgs)RelationshipsSuccessionData analyticsTrending topicsClicktivismAbout the journey (stories of success) - pinpoint crucial turning points from historyMonitoring and tracking success and impactOral histories

3suggestionsWrite solutions-focused journalismExpose toolsto enable deliberation

Give the communityback its dataDo any of these suggestions have value?Could you use any of them?How might we improve them?

Come and chat to us afterwardsOr comment at: http://wp.me/p6G9kT-6f Call to actionThank youGiles [email protected] @ggatlarge

Paul [email protected] @pmackay

Chris [email protected] @djwesto


Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddTony HirstOpen University and On the Wight#CJ15


171Time for a Local Data Wire?

Generating Data Driven Press Releases

Tony HirstComputing &CommunicationsThe Open University

[email protected]

@psychemedia / blog.ouseful.infoTony HirstTwitter: @psychemediaBlog: http://blog.ouseful.info

In this talk, I will review some recent advances in robotics, showing what's already available, what could make it out of the lab in the next few years, and what's likely to remain in the realm of science fiction. From robot cars to robot factories, cool robots to killer robots, be prepared to be amazed by what's currently possible, and amused by what's not!172

National DatasetLocal dataLocal dataLocal dataLocal dataCommunitystoryCommunitystoryCommunitystoryCommunitystoryNational DatasetLocal dataLocal dataLocal dataLocal dataCommunitystoryCommunitystoryCommunitystoryCommunitystoryPainPainNational DatasetLocal dataLocal dataLocal dataLocal dataCommunitystoryCommunitystoryCommunitystoryCommunitystoryAutomationPress ReleasePress ReleasePress ReleasePress ReleasePress ReleasePress ReleasePress ReleasePress ReleaseAutomation


Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddInnovation showcaseAdvertising/business models#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddRichard GurnerFounder and EditorCaerphilly Observer#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddTom KihlDirector and PublisherLondon Belongs to Me Ltd#CJ15


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Profitable hyperlocal.

Possible?Tom KihlThe bloggers dilemma

SUCCESSINCREASING RESOURCES? REVENUES ?+=

Sunday supplement rather than front page

Positive cultural focus

Social media friendly

Affluent London postcode Explosion of small business

New sense of neighbourhood

Move to mobile social

Perils of advertising

Advertising dilemmaPrint edition

NETWORKbiggeraudience butrevenues still small

NETWORKIs there anyvalue in a highly targetedaudience? biggeraudience butrevenues still small

YES

Two types of hit

Local sensation

Viral smash

CONTENT

TECH

UGC

Hyperlocal Toolkit

Our network as a platform for community journalismSolve setup & running issuesWordpress & hostingPlugins & designAdvertising platformCapitalise on niche audienceSocial media single sign-onNetwork analytics Membership schemeMeaningful revenue potentialCautious use of programmatic Aggregate/share top contentNative marketplace

Thanks.@[email protected]


Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddUna MurphyCo-founderVIEWDigital#CJ15


203BUSINESS MODEL

COMMUNITY MEDIA SOCIAL ENTERPRISE - Community Interest Company

MEDIA PRODUCTION & TRAINING - Main services offered

DEVELOPING NEW SERVICES - Communications consultancy - Video Production

PUBLISH VIEW social affairs magazinePRODUCE & CURATE online news on VIEWdigital.org on http://viewdigital.org & social media:- Twitter/Facebookhttps://twitter.com/viewforni https://www.facebook.com/VIEWforNITRAINING in Digital & Media Skills by Experts

BUSINESS MODEL - REVENUE fromAdvertisingTrainingCommunications ConsultancyVideo production Grants

BRAND DEVELOPMENTQuality independent journalism & media production on social affairs issues and community campaignsQuality training in digital & media skills by experts from VIEWdigital and associatesQuality communications consultancy to help others to tell their stories to a wide audience

COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY - PUBLISHER

MEDIA PRODUCTION

VIEWdigital social media

VIEWdigital web

VIEW magazine

CONTENT

MONETISING MEDIA PRODUCTION BY:

DISPLAY ADVERTISING NOT PAY PER CLICK

DEVELOPING SUPPORTED BY PARTNERSHIPS

PUBLISHER & EDITOR BOTH SEEK ADVERTISING / COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPSA COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATE TO BE HIREDAWARDS / FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES EXPLORED

s EIRCOM Digital Heroes 2015 Award shortlistCONTACT:Una Murphy e: [email protected]


Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddWorkshopsData - Birt Acres (here)Advertising - Room 1.20 (upstairs)Investigations - Room 0.31a (downstairs)#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddCoffee(downstairs in the caf) #CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddHyperlocals and the lawPanel session#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddJonathan HeawoodFounding Director, IMPRESS

Nick BoothOwner, podnosh#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol CaerdyddCloseDan Gillmor#CJ15


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Cefnogwyd gan Prosiectau Ymgsyltu Prifysgol Caerdyddand its all overMeet us at Urban Tap House to continue talking#CJ15


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conference running order pres final

Documents