[ecrea] Call for Papers: Nordicom Review Special Issue

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CALL FOR PAPERS: Nordicom Review/ (OPEN ACCESS)

Hyperlocal media in the Nordic region

This special issue of Nordicom Review examines hyperlocal media in the 
Nordic region in a period of paradigmatic change in society and media 
that so far has received little scholarly attention. We want to expand 
existing nascent research on hyperlocal media (Metzgar, Kurpius & 
Rowley, 2011; Radcliffe, 2012; van Kerkhoven & Bakker  2014) to the 
Nordic region. Hyperlocal media in this context refers to newer local 
initiatives on publishing, often being online-based.  The Nordic region 
has got specific features, such as the combination of commercial media 
with strong public service media and preparedness to pay for news and 
journalistic content. Is the combination of hyperlocal media and the 
Nordic welfare state model different from other contexts and if yes, how?

Examining hyperlocal media is important when discussing the future of 
journalism, media business and media ecosystem. While the legacy media 
have struggled financially and cut back on editorial staff, many parts 
of the world have witnessed the rise of small digital start-ups and 
citizen or community initiated journalism and information sharing, often 
hyperlocal in character. On the one hand, local journalism in the Nordic 
countries is evolving and facing challenges, for instance in places 
where newsrooms are eliminated or resources for news are decreasing. On 
the other hand, journalists and activists are actively creating new 
services that aim at providing news and information as well as platforms 
for communication to local communities. Research shows that hyperlocal 
media is a growing phenomenon in the Nordic region but we know little 
about the functions that it plays, for instance, in sustaining local 
democracy and civic engagement. This special issue aims to examine these 
shifts, their causes and impact.

The special issue is approaching the research field both from 
theoretical as well as inductive reasoning, using a wide variety of 
methods, both quantitative and qualitative, and theoretical approaches.

Topics may include but are not limited to:

  * Functions of hyperlocal media in the Nordic countries
  * The history of Nordic hyperlocal media: from community media to
    citizen journalism and onwards
  * Case studies of hyperlocal media in the Nordic countries: successes
    and failures
  * Appearances of hyperlocal journalism and publishing in the Nordic
    countries – a comparative approach
  * The future of Nordic hyperlocal media
  * Media ecology and hyperlocal media
  * Contributions to theory: definitions of hyperlocal media
  * Business models for hyperlocal media
  * Hyperlocal media and new technical solutions
  * Emerging forms of hyperlocal media (e.g. social media as hyperlocal
    media)
  * The contribution of hyperlocal media to local democracy and civic
    engagement
  * Participatory functions of hyperlocal media: the role of the audience
  * Who produces hyperlocal news, and how do they describe what they do?
  * The space for professional journalism in hyperlocal media
  * What, and who, gets covered in Nordic hyperlocal media?

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Guest editors: Jaana Hujanen, Ph. D., Professor and Head of the 
Journalism Program, Swedish School of Social Science, University of 
Helsinki, Finland; Carl-Gustav Lindén (Corresponding editor), Ph. D., 
University Researcher, Swedish School of Social Science, University of 
Helsinki, Finland.  Katja Lehtisaari, Ph. D, University Researcher, 
Aleksanteri Institute and Swedish School of Social Science, University 
of Helsinki.

Key dates
Deadline and instructions for abstracts: January 12, 2018 (400-500 
words, indicating central questions, methodology, and theoretical 
framework). Submissions are to be sent to Carl-Gustav 
Lindén (carl-gustav.linden /at/ helsinki.fi)

Authors notified of decision: February 16, 2018

Deadline for completed articles: June 1, 2018, (max. 7,000 words; 
followed by peer-review)

Preliminary publication date (after peer-review): Fall/Winter 2018-2019

For questions regarding the special issue, contact:
Carl-Gustav Lindén
Swedish School of Social Science
University of Helsinki
E-mail: (carl-gustav.linden /at/ helsinki.fi)
Mobile phone: +358 40 51578682

For questions regarding Nordicom Review, contact: Jonas Ohlsson, +46 786 
61 25, (jonas.ohlsson /at/ nordicom.gu.se)

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