ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an analysis of the UK hyperlocal news sector, largely covering the period 2012–2015. It looks at extent, variety and content of hyperlocal news and information operations and shows how they contribute to local public spheres of information, bringing together empirical data from a range of research methods including a content analysis, a survey and interviews. As well as there being generalist hyperlocals who occasionally carry out investigations, a small but influential group of community news sites has developed in the UK that devote themselves almost exclusively to the production of critical and investigative news. Examples include Inside Croydon and Broken Barnett in London, the Leeds Citizen in the North of England, Carmarthenshire Planning Problems and More from rural West Wales, and Real Whitby in this seaside town in North Yorkshire. All of these sites have investigated and broken stories of local and national significance, chiefly about political corruption and transparency issues.
