Legacy news outlets are not yet in the game

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Only in the last couple of years are models for more formalized collaborations between daily news outlets and a network of hyperlocal sites in a particular community being launched and tested. J-Lab has been in the vanguard of experimenting with some of these models in its Networked Journalism project.

As legacy newsrooms alter their competitive mindsets to embrace collaborations with other media makers in their communities, independent hyperlocal news sites will begin to benefit. But it was too early for most of the New Voices grantees to take advantage of that.

Both 10 Valley and Mi-Whi News launched after finding themselves unable to move forward on initial plans to partner with existing news outlets. In some cases their newsroom contacts’ jobs had changed; in other cases the editors were too overburdened even to return phone calls. 10 Valley is now sharing content with others and Mi-Whi will firm up partnerships as it develops content.

The University of Miami’s Grand Avenue News, however, recently entered a deal to share links and content with the Miami Herald, which is part of J-Lab’s Networked Journalism initiative. “I have no doubt that this relationship between hyperlocal news sites and larger metropolitan news sites will have its place in the future,” founder Kim Grinfeder said.  It helps that student reporters like the idea of getting published in The Herald.

Temple’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods site is now a genuine neighborhood newswire, and its content has triggered partnerships with Al Día and WHYY public radio.
Meanwhile, Madison Commons is entering into a partnership with the website of a local television station, WISC/Channel 3000, to create a new hyperlocal effort that will seek foundation support.

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