The layoffs at AOL’s Patch sites across the country are altering the hyperlocal news landscape, and Ohio University’s Dr. Michelle Ferrier is tracking those changes using an open wiki at http://aolpatch.wikispaces.com. Ferrier is associate dean for innovation in the Scripps College of Communication and a researcher/entrepreneur in the hyperlocal arena.
Using crowdsourcing through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus, news reports, and even emails from former editors, Ferrier is compiling the changes on a wiki that anyone can edit. The work is part of a larger research project called “The Media Deserts Project” that is mapping the national media ecosystem to find places that lack access to fresh news and information.
“AOL’s Patch strategy has been an important part of the experimentation in hyperlocal online news,” Ferrier said. “We need to understand what makes a community site sustainable and how we can structure these operations differently.”
The Media Deserts Project uses geographic information systems to map changes in daily newspaper circulation. Additional layers in the map will use the AOL Patch data along with other research on independent hyperlocal online news sites to provide additional intelligence on news coverage. The research team from Ohio University and Ithaca College is working on a public version of the map that can be used by regional leaders and residents to create local solutions.
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