Here I will establish the professional background of research participants who agreed to be interviewed for this study. Below is a table 4.1 which lists participants and their professional status, alongside the titles they produce and whether they work fulltime or part time on the provision. From the table it is possible to see that the hyperlocal operators who participated in this study are from diverse backgrounds, most are also working on their provisions part time as a mix of work. Williams et al found that
hyperlocal producers rarely work full time on their titles (2014: 11) and this proved to be the case for the small sample of research participants; of which the majority
self-identified as journalists. In total 16 worked part time and 11 full time on their provisions.
Although several who identified as working part time, were using the hyperlocal as a significant income stream as part of a portfolio of related work. Meanwhile, 11
participants’ considered their operations reliable enough to be their main income stream.
Table 4:1 : The professional background of research participants’
Interviewee Professional background Hyperlocal Full/part time David Wimble Director Radio Waves
providing onboard entertainment systems to cruise ships.
The Looker Part time
David Shafford Highways Agency Traffic
Officer and web designer. Dartford Living Part time Vijay Jain Global Marketing Manager
for flood modelling software. Dartford Living Part time James Hatts Community journalist:
started London SE1 while a student.
London SE1 Full time
Richard Gurner Journalist local and regional
media. Caerphilly Observer Full time
Rachel Howells Journalist and academic. Port Talbot Magnet Part time
111 Daniel Ionescu Founded Stonebow Media
Ltd after graduating a with degree in Journalism.
The Lincolnite, Lincolnshire
Reporter, Lincolnshire Business Full time David Jackman Journalist, former local
newspaper editor. Everything Epping Forest, Everything Harlow, Everythinglocalnews
Full time
Sean Kelly Founder NeighbourNet Ltd.
Formerly worked in City of London financial sector.
NeighbourNet.com, Chiswick W4 Full time
Annemarie
Flanagan Freelance journalist, former senior broadcast journalist with the BBC.
Ealing Today, Acton W3 Part time
Sue Choularton Freelance journalist and copywriter. Former Assistant Editor Teletext.
Wimbledon SW19 Part time
William Perrin Political adviser and private consultant to technology companies.
Kings Cross Environment,
founder of Talk About Local Part time Jamie Summerfield Journalist and PR
consultant. A Little Bit of Stone Part time Jon Cook Technical solutions analyst. A Little Bit of Stone Part time Richard Coulter Journalist, former assistant
editor Bristol Evening Post.
Emma Cooper Former Head of Advertising (telesales) at Bristol Evening Gary Brindle Graphic designer and former
production manager at Bristol Evening Post
Downend Voice and Fishponds
Voice Full time
Paul Breeden Former journalist at Bristol
Evening Post South Bristol Voice, two separate
editions. Full time
Michael Casey Former local newspaper journalist who provides freelance content to BBC, national and international media organisations.
Your Thurrock and Your Harlow Full time
David Prior Former local/regional and
*PA Journalist, founder Hyperlocal Today Ltd. Also runs business website Prolific North.
Altrincham Today Part time
112 Emma Gunby Former *PA journalist who
runs social media
management company Neon Fox Marketing alongside the hyperlocal.
West Kirby Today Part time
Martin Johnston Marketing and PR professional, gave up hyperlocal to take on a full time role in June 2016.
Stockport Today Part time
Adam Cantwell-Corn Law graduate, jointly founded Bristol Cable after leaving university.
Bristol Cable Part time, Fulltime by 2nd interview Pat Gamble Former transport and
logistics manager. West Bridgford Wire Full time Dave Harte University lecturer and
researcher. Bournville Village. com Part time Simon Perry Digital entrepreneur and
journalist. On the Wight Full time
*PA – Press Association
The predominance of journalists was also reflected in Williams et al’s study, where half of their participants’ had received journalistic training (2014: 4). At this stage it is
important to consider what is meant by the term ‘journalist’ in the internet-era. During the pre-internet era the role of journalist was clearly defined due to a high degree of
professional control. Broadly speaking, school leavers trained at local newspapers via the ‘indenture’ (apprenticeship) system and news was routinely created within an industrialised setting (Franklin: 2006: 74). As digitization has converged the roles of producer and consumer, the professional identity of journalists in the post-industrial era is challenged (Deuze, 2008). Deuze and Witschge observe that news creation is no longer the exclusive preserve of: ‘a particular professional group such as journalists employed at news organisations’ (2017: 117). Drawing on the concepts of liquid
modernity (Bauman, 2000) and liquid journalism (Deuze, 2007; 2008) they highlight the atypical working practices of many journalists (Deuze and Witschge, 2018). They suggest that the professional life of many journalists in the 21st century is one of
‘permanent impermanence’ due to the effects of continuous reorganisations in mainstream media organisations where buy-outs lead to ‘lay-offs’ and regular ‘job-hopping’ (2017: 115-116). They also draw attention to the convergence of roles of
content, sales and marketing which has led to: ‘a gradual breakdown of the wall between the commercial and editorial sides of the news organisation’ (2017: 123) and the
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requirement for entrepreneurial skills. Therefore, in this thesis, and given the contested nature of the role, a journalist will be considered to be those who self-identify as such.
In order to answer the first research question, the professional backgrounds of those who have at some stage worked in the parent culture will be identified. In alphabetical order, journalists who have previously worked on regional/local newspapers in editorial departments were:
Paul Breeden: Western Daily Press,
Michael Casey: Grays and Tilbury Gazette,
Sue Choularton: Western Daily Press also Assistant Editor Teletext, Richard Coulter: Bristol Evening Post,
Emma Gunby: Liverpool Daily Post, Liverpool Echo also Press Association, Richard Gurner: The Argus, Brighton,
David Jackman: West Essex Gazette,
David Prior: Liverpool Daily Post, North West Enquirer also Press Association.
To this list were added those with journalism training from other backgrounds:
Richard Drew: freelance broadcast journalist, presenter and commentator, Annemarie Flanagan: broadcast journalist BBC TV and radio,
Rachel Howells: The Big Issue, Cymru and poet, Daniel Ionescu: technology writer PC World, Simon Perry: Digital Lifestyles magazine.
Those with media/journalism training but who have tended towards public relations and marketing were:
Martin Johnston, Jamie Summerfield.
Two other former Bristol Evening Post employees not in the editorial department but indisputably ‘media professionals’ were:
Gary Brindle: Pre Press Manager, Bristol Evening Post,
Emma Cooper: Head of Advertising (telesales) Bristol Evening Post.
Those on the outer edges of mainstream media were:
James Hatts: community journalist, had operated London SE1 for 18 years.
Dave Harte: university lecturer, PhD researcher in hyperlocal media and a former columnist for the Birmingham Post
David Wimble: businessman with a broadcast background in community and internet radio.
The remaining participants’ from non-media professional backgrounds were:
Adam Cantwell-Corn: law graduate, Jon Cook: technical solutions analyst,
Pat Gamble: transport and logistics manager,
114 Vijay Jain: flood software modeller,
Sean Kelly: City of London financial sector,
William Perrin: political adviser and private consultant to technology companies, David Shafford: traffic officer and web designer.
Of the original 27 interviewees, there were only seven who could be identified as coming to hyperlocal publishing from a non-media background. Although such a description is immediately problematic because William Perrin had a long-standing involvement with hyperlocal, alongside his full-time roles as a political adviser and private consultant to technology companies. As founder of both Kings Cross Environment and the hyperlocal advocacy group Talk About Local (TAL) he had been one of the driving forces in
establishing the sector. He had been involved in training community journalists, organising TAL conferences where hyperlocal operators could physically meet and assisted Williams et al in sourcing the sample for their empirical research in the sector (2014). His LinkedIn personal statement described him as ‘Working at the cutting-edge of technology, media, data, public policy and philanthropy’ (LinkedIn.com).
Pat Gamble’s background was not in media but as he said in interview: ‘I’d got business management and people skills. So, no sales skills, but I’d obviously got transferable stuff’ (I:1 12/05/2016). What Pat calls his ‘transferable stuff’ of business management and people skills resonates with Deuze and Witschge’s observations (2017: 115-130) about the desirability of having a range of skills, rather than purely journalistic, when starting an entrepreneurial news venture. Therefore, the ‘transferable stuff’ could be construed as an advantage, since it potentially offers a more commercial approach to the hyperlocal operation. In fact, Picard (2010) asserts that the working practices of traditional journalists can be detrimental when starting a news enterprise, because in the industrial setting they were isolated from commercial decisions. Naldi and Picard caution that journalists who have worked in mainstream organisations may be constrained by ‘formation myopia’ (2012; Cook and Sirkkunen; 2015) because they are used to being part of a large staff with interdependent trades. Industrialised settings demonstrate a high degree of organic division of labour, with income generation from advertising sales and newspaper cover price dealt with by specialist workers (Durkheim, 1893/1984).
For an entrepreneurial venture, business skills were therefore an asset and
participants’ who possessed them were: Sean Kelly, David Shafford, Pat Gamble and David Wimble. For an online news site, software skills were important and participants’
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with those professional skills were: Jon Cook, Vijay Jain, Simon Perry and David
Shafford. Both Daniel Ionescu and Sean Kelly formed business partnerships with people who were ‘IT’ experts, while Richard Coulter formed a business partnership with
advertising expert Emma Cooper. These are examples of interdependence present in organic division of labour scenarios (Durkheim, 1893/1984; Jenks, 2005: 28) and where there is also a bilateral/negotiated (Lewis et al, 2014: 232 Harte et al, 2017: 167)
exchange relationship in place.
In terms of reciprocal journalism, where the relationship being analysed is that between publisher and audience, informal exchange is generally considered more valuable because ‘there is a risk of not getting anything back’; it thus offers greater potential to demonstrate the development of trust and social bonding (Lewis et al, 2014: 232; Harte et al, 2017: 167). By this measure, negotiated exchange, where there is a form of agreement or contract in place is inferior. However, Durkheim provides a means to explore negotiated exchange relationships, between people working together on hyperlocal enterprises, and understand how solidarity is created via division of labour situations (1893/1984; Jenks, 2005: 28). In the following section there will be a discussion about the motivations for participants’ becoming involved in independent hyperlocal operations and the exchange relationships they have formed during the process, both informal and negotiated. Durkheim’s mechanical solidarity also provides a lens through which to view the ‘common values and beliefs’ which constitute the
‘conscience collective’ or ‘collectivity’ of independent hyperlocal publishing (1893/1984;
Aron, 1967: 21; Hughes et al, 2003: 163-164).