There is one common denominator when it comes to making hyperlocal journalism work: money.
Local journalists do not have a lot of start up capital and it takes time for these websites to bring in advertising revenue. Time is money and for many journalists and companies trying to do local news on a macro level, the money just doesn't come in fast enough.
DeadlineDetriot announced that it would layoff its entire staff April 4 as it seeks new investors.
While I don't think that doing local journalism on a macro level, that is doing it in a cookie cutter fashion for 20 local municipalities, can't work, I do think it can for individual websites, but with a catch. You have to give people the news everyday. You can't take a day off. Also, you have to have one person selling and one person producing content. One person cannot do both equally well, I don't think. The places where we see it working in New Jersey is where a husband and a wife team or two people enter into a partnership.
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