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WikioNew Jersey's hyperlocal news web sites are mostly run by journalists who consider themselves watchdogs of local government and started their sites because they were not satisfied with the coverage of their communities by the established media.
Those are the findings of the first-ever survey of hyperlocal journalists in New Jersey conducted by Jersey New Media, a blog that covers entrepeneurial journalism in the Garden State.
The survey was sent in October to 16 people who operate web sites that cover local news in New Jersey. Not included were web sites run by major media outlets, such as nj.com. Ten of those contacted returned the 23-question survey.
Most of the sites are run by a single person who have another job that pays the bills, often in journalism, though several sites make enough money to support the hyperlocal journalist. Some sites are what could be considered blogs, while others strive to replicate a daily news site, with constant updates and more traditional news reporting. Most sites are built on free blogging tools, such as Blooger, Wordpress and Typepad.
Among the hyperlocal entrepeneurs who also have jobs in journalism are: Laurel Kornfeld, who operates The Blog for Highland Park and works at The Somerset Spectator, Alyssa Passeggio, who operates Read All About It and works at The Courier, and Sergio R. Bichao, who operates The Hillsider and works as a production editor at the Jersey Journal.
The ranks of the state's hyperlocal journalists are also filled with former reporters and editors. Bill Cleary, who operates ClearysNoteBook, owned The Gloucester City News, a weekly newspaper in South Jersey. John T. Ward, who runs Red Bank Green, was a reporter for 20 years at the Home News, Asbury Park Press and The Star-Ledger. Bernice Paglia, who is behind Plainfield Plaintalker, worked for 16 years as a reporter with the Courier-News as well as an editor at the weekly Plainfield Today.
Ward said he started Red Bank Green after he read about Baristanet, a hyperlocal site that covers Montclair. (Debbie Gallant, one of the owners of Baristanet, declined to participate in the survey.)
"I believed something similar in Red Bank had potential," Ward said.
Michael Shapiro, who runs The Alternative Press, worked for a short time at The Westfield Leader, but now works as a lawyer in New York.
Michael Adams, who operates Somerset08837 in Franklin Township, is a real estate agent who said he started his site to stand out from other Realtors.
James Griswold, who runs several local web sites (Trenton Space, Ewing Space, Lawrence Space, Hamilton Space, Robinsville Space) in Mercer County, ran a coffee shop in Trenton, Cafe Ole, before starting his first newspaper in 2001, Trenton Downtowner, because he wanted a place to advertise his shop. Two years later, he and another partner, Tom Valeri, started the Ewing Observer, a monthly newspaper. The company, Community News Service, now operates five newspapers with 15 full time staffers.
In addition to running Read All About It, Passeggio contributes to two other blogs, The Inside Clam Digger and The Bayshore Newsblog, both of which supplement the coverage of The Courier newspapers.
"I began my blog to supplement information from my coverage that could not fit into the paper," Passeggio said. "I have grown to include original photography and videos. I occasionally use it for commentary on the issues in the area."
Most, but not all, of those running hyperlocal websites consider themselves watchdogs of local government.
"I spend a lot of time at City Hall researching documents for background and also attend almost all city council meetings as well as other public meetings," Paglia said.
Shapiro said he believes a newspaper's job is to provide residents with objective, non-partisan news and information and then let the residents make up their own minds about issues and elected officials.
"I do not believe it is the job of newspapers to tell people how to think or what to think about," said Shapiro, who once ran for mayor of New Brunswick and served as chairman of the New Providence Democratic Committee, which he has since resigned.
"I believe it is critically important to an objective non-partisan press that its editor not have any political involvement," Shapiro said.
Griswold said he does not consider his websites in Mercer County to be watchdogs of local government.
At least two hyperlocal journalists said they decided to start their sites to present residents of their communities with an opposing viewpoint.
"Gloucester City has been ruled by the Camden County Democrat Machine for decades," Cleary said. "The old boys club met behind closed doors. . .A new group came along in 2006 to challenge the Norcross machine running as Independent Democrats. . . I believe they had a chance in succeeding."
Cleary said he began writing some scathing editorials and posting them on his blog along with taking photos of the things he felt had been left to deteriorate over the years. One example, he said, was a $100,000 playground paid for with a state grant had broken swings, and sliding board, basketball racks with no basket.
"In November the old guard was defeated," Cleary said. "Whether I helped in their demise; you would have to ask the public."
Kornfeld is more involved in politics than a traditional journalist, having ran as a "renegade Democrat" for Highland Park borough council in the 2002 and again in 2005. She also took part in leading challenges against Mayor Meryl Frank's supporters for Democratic Committee seats in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007. In 2007, Kornfeld said she was part of the central planning group of the campaign of mayoral challenger Nancy Wolf, who received 42 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary. Kornfeld said she plans to lead another Democratic Committee challenge in 2009 and run for Borough Council again soon.
Kornfeld said she doesn't see her role in politics in conflict with her role as a hyperlocal journalist.
"The blog gives the political opposition a chance to be heard without spending a lot of money, thereby assisting in leveling the playing field," Kornfeld said.
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