64
Pou ci e ce a icle, o quo e his a icle, pa a
ci a es e a igo :
Lau a Ah a, Vic o Wia d, « Pa icipa ion in Local
Jou nalism. Assessing Two App oaches h ough
Access, Dialogue and Delibe a ion », Su le jou na-
lisme, Abou jou nalism, Sob e jo nalismo
[En ligne, online], Vol 7, n°2 - 2018, 15 décemb e -
Decembe 15 - 15 de dezemb o.
URL : h p://www.su lejou nalisme.com/ e
Lau a Ah a, Vic o Wia d - Pa icipa ion in Local Jou nalism
Pa icipa ion in Local
Jou nalism
Assessing Two App oaches h ough
Access, Dialogue and Delibe a ion
lau a ah a
COMET
Uni e si y o Tampe e
Finland
lau a.ah a@s a .u a. i
iC o Wia D
ReSIC
Uni e si é lib e de B uxelles
& V ije Uni e si ei B ussels
Belgium
[email p o ec ed]
Pa icipa o y jou nalism e e s o
a a ie y o discou ses and p ac-
ices implica ing he ac i e ole
o audiences and ci izens in news
p oduc ion and dissemina ion
p ocesses (Bo ge e al., 2103;
Ca pen ie , 2015; Domingo e al.,
2008; Paulussen e al., 2007; Wall, 2017). Pa ici-
pa ion is no a new concep (e.g., Pa eman, 1970)
and a ci izen pa icipa ion adi ion al eady exis ed
wi hin he mass media amewo k (Ch is ians e al.,
2009: 25). No ions such as communi y jou nalism
(Reade and Ha che , 2012) and public jou nalism
(Haas, 2007) can be seen as p edecesso s o digi-
al pa icipa o y jou nalism. The no ion has, how-
e e , gained mo e popula i y as well as new laye s
o meaning o e he pas decade, especially due o
possibili ies o e ed by digi aliza ion (K eiss & B en-
nen, 2016).
The esea ch communi y has been eage o
s udy he democ a izing possibili ies ha pa ic-
ipa o y jou nalism o e s (Bo ge e al., 2013).
Fo example, ecen social and poli ical shi s
ha e spa ked in ensi ied deba es o e how pa -
icipa ion is connec ed o he issues o us and
c edibili y, and i s po en ial posi i e e ec s on de-
moc acy (e.g., Pe e s & B oe sma, 2012). On he
one hand, pa icipa o y jou nalism hus appea s
as a democ a izing possibili y. On he o he , ques-
ions ega ding he unp o essional, uncon ollable
65
Su le jou nalisme - Abou jou nalism - Sob e jo nalismo - Vol 7, n°2 - 2018
and un uly na u e o ci izen pa icipa ion seem o
d aw limi s o his po en ial (e.g., Lewis 2012).
In his ega d, some schola s ha e indica ed ha
pa icipa ion, especially in he digi al con ex , has
become amed as an o e ly indi idualized p ojec ,
as opposed o jou nalism’s aim o ep esen and
engage collec i i ies (Pe e s & Wi schge, 2015;
K eiss & B ennen, 2016).
In his si ua ion, he con ex o local communi ies
appea s as a ui ul g ound o assessing pa icipa-
o y jou nalism and i s democ a ic po en ial, bo h
online and o line. A he local le el, pa icipa ion
ends o be ei he linked o p o essional jou nalism
whe e ci izens a e in i ed o engage wi h news in-
s i u ions; o o g ass oo s p ojec s, whe e ci izens
c ea e ini ia i es o become pa o one, allowing
hem o p oduce news hemsel es. Local adi ional
newspape s a e o en seen as being na u ally close
o ci izens, allowing hem o engage in geog aphical-
ly limi ed and hema ically p ecise public issues and
os e ing communi y in eg a ion, and he eme ging
online hype local news si es ha e been seen as po-
en ial sa io s o he declining news indus y and
i s loosened ci izen engagemen (Nielsen, 2015;
Me zga e al., 2011).
Howe e , s udies also e eal ha he local con-
ex wi h i s s ong communi y o ien a ion is no
a gua an ee o a - eaching democ a izing e ec s.
Fo example, Ah a (2010) has shown how he o -
line public jou nalism app oaches o local and e-
gional newspape s emained limi ed due o hei
p ojec -like o pe soni ied na u es, and Williams
e al. (2014) ha e indica ed ha e en i he on-
line hype local si es ha e co e ed local poli ics and
p oblems, sou cing has emained limi ed o local
o icials, much like in he adi ional news ou le s.
Bo h app oaches hus ha e hei ad an ages and
d awbacks. In his a icle, we will he e o e sum-
ma ize ecen e idence om p e ious s udies on
he successes and sho comings o local pa icipa-
ion, bu we also poin ou ha empi ical analyses
o en ha e li le o say abou he no ma i e jus i i-
ca ion o pa icipa ion. Hence, we y o elabo a e
his sho coming by adding o empi ical e idence
o local pa icipa o y jou nalism, and cla i ying he
no ma i e and concep ual basis o such jou nal-
ism. In o he wo ds, we examine and assess, side
by side, wo e y di e en app oaches: a young
online- i s ne wo k o ci izen hype local si es in
B ussels, Belgium (Dewey) and a en-yea -old pub-
lic jou nalism s yle ee newspape in S ockholm,
Sweden (Söd a Sidan). We b eak down he no ion
o pa icipa ion in o elemen s o access, dialogue
and delibe a ion o be able o analyze and assess
– in he spi i o jou nalism c i icism – he demo-
c a ic po en ial o he wo app oaches.
undE s andinG pa iCipa ion
in hE loCal Con Ex
Pa icipa ion encompasses a a ie y o ac i i ies
anging om access o pla o ms, and om o mu-
la ing opinions o p oducing con en (Bailey, Cam-
mae s & Ca pen ie , 2008: 12-15). I has gene a ed
a wide a ay o esea ch s emming om di e en
adi ions wi hin jou nalism s udies. As no ed, he
local – and ecen ly especially he hype local – con-
ex has d awn plen y o a en ion om he esea ch
communi y. F om his li e a u e, we ha e iden i ied
ou main pe spec i es om which pa icipa ion in
he local con ex has been examined.
Fi s , we can iden i y s udies ha ha e analyzed
he s yle o co e age ha pa icipa o y app oach-
es in local jou nalism ha e p oduced. A s udy on a
Flemish egional newspape , o ins ance, e ealed
ha while ha d news emained he ealm o p o es-
sional jou nalis s, so news had been app op ia ed
by ci izens, who used hei pe sonal in e es and
knowledge o c ea e so news con en (Paulussen &
D’Hee , 2013). Bo ge e al. (2016) con i med his
end when analyzing a di e si y o pa icipa o y in-
i ia i es in he Ne he lands. Thei con en analysis
showed ha local pa icipa o y p ojec s ha e a en-
dency owa ds so news opics ha ely on pe sonal
expe ience and i s -hand wi nessing (Bo ge e al.,
2016: 16). Ano he s udy om he same coun y in-
dica ed ha a collabo a i e egional media p ojec
esul ed in an inc eased numbe o communi y- e-
la ed hemes in he co e age, bu no necessa ily
in adically di e en s yles o co e age in e ms o
sou cing o posi ioning he local people (He mans e
al., 2014).
Ano he pe spec i e has ocused on unde s and-
ing he p oduce s and use s o local pa icipa o y
jou nalism. Ea lie on, he ocus seemed o be on
he a i udes o jou nalis s (Lewis e al., 2010), bu i
has become mo e ypical o examine he mo i a ions
and oles ha a e p o ided o ci izens in local jou -
nalism. Fo example, Can e (2013) iden i ies ci i-
zens’ pa icipa o y posi ions in he con ex o a local
newspape in he UK as sou ce, esou ce o collab-
o a o . This concu s wi h wha Pe e s and Wi schge
s a e: he in ensi y o ci izens’ pa icipa ion may
a y om minimal o maximal (2015). In F ance, so
called “pu e playe s”1 ha e a ce ain “pa icipa o y
logic”, ying o spa k and media e public deba es
h ough commen chains and on social media. Pa -
icipa ion o local audiences is in luenced no only by
geog aphical p oximi y bu also by sociological simi-
la i ies o audience membe s, such as hei high cul-
u al capi al o hei pe sonal in e es s (Bousque ,
Ma y & Smy naios, 2015).
66 Lau a Ah a, Vic o Wia d - Pa icipa ion in Local Jou nalism
A hi d pe spec i e ocuses on he sus ainabili y
o pa icipa o y app oaches in local jou nalism and
examines whe he i is possible o p oduce s abili-
y and economic success (Ha e e al., 2017). Hess
and Walle (2017) summa ize ha no all local ap-
p oaches ha e p o en success ul, bu he local con-
ex holds p omises because he e a e “niche” ma -
ke s o au hen ically local news ha is impo an o
people bu no widely a ailable. Howe e , hey also
a gue ha local pla o ms a e no necessa ily buil
o make big p o i s (2017: 200-201). Howe e , hin-
d ances encoun e ed du ing pa icipa o y p ojec s
(and he end o many o hem) highligh he di icul-
ies o se ing up las ing p ocesses. In hei s udy o
123 hype local news websi es, an Ke kho en and
Bakke conclude ha “hype local news websi es a e
bo h p omising and ulne able” (2014: 12).
The ou h pe spec i e widens he ocus by s ud-
ying local news ecosys ems. Recen s udies ha e em-
phasized how wha ends up being he news is o en
he esul o a collec i e p ocess in ol ing a a ie y
o jou nalis ic and non-jou nalis ic ac o s (Ande -
son, 2013). Fi ms one and Coleman ocused on he
ecosys em o news p oduc ion in Leeds (2014; 2015)
and no iced ha e en hough a a ie y o ac o s
(poli icians, local media, ci izen jou nalis s, com-
muni ies) in e ac wi hin a dynamic ecosys em, he
ine ia o ins i u ions (may hey be poli ical o jou -
nalis ic) pushes ci izen jou nalism o he ma gins
(Fi ms one & Coleman, 2015). Fu he mo e, Do-
mingo and Le Cam ha e demons a ed how ac o s
nego ia e he local news na a i e by playing wi h
and inside jou nalism, bu mains eam media s ill
ac s as an obliga o y poin o passage o whoe e
wan s o con ol he na a i e (Domingo & Le Cam,
2015; Le Cam & Domingo, 2015).
These pe spec i es a e insigh ul in p o iding
knowledge abou he con en , ac o s, business mod-
els and he in e ac ion be ween non-ins i u ional and
ins i u ional playe s in local jou nalism. Howe e ,
hey do no p o ide much guidance in how o assess
pa icipa ion in no ma i e e ms. K eiss and B en-
nen (2016) indica e ha pa icipa ion has become
one o he main no ma i e a gumen s in jou nalism
s udies in he digi al age (along wi h deins i u ionali-
za ion, inno a ion and en ep eneu ship), bu schol-
a s a e no always explici abou hei no ma i e
iewpoin s. No ma i e concep s may hus be inspi-
a ional as hey p o ide a language o c i ique, bu
he c i ique should no be done in a manne ha is
me ely one-sidedly emb acing he no ions o lea ing
hei no ma i i y hidden (K eiss and B ennen, 2016:
300-310). He e, we will aim o ake on he challenge
o combining empi ical in es iga ion wi h no ma i e
c i ique. To do his, we p opose a heo e ical ame-
wo k ha combines no ma i i y wi h insigh s ha
challenge he idea ha pa icipa ion in he jou nalis-
ic con ex would always be abou democ acy.
analy iCal modEl o aCCEss,
dialoGuE and dElibE a ion
While sea ching o non-jou nalis ic ocabula y
o jou nalism c i icism, Heikkilä and Kunelius
(1998) coined a h ee-s ep amewo k o e alua ing
he democ a ic po en ial o jou nalism hough he
no ions o access, dialogue and delibe a ion. When
hei a icle was w i en in he 1990s, he no ion o
pa icipa o y jou nalism did no ye exis . A ha
momen , he au ho s we e mo e in e es ed in ques-
ioning “ he monopoly o jou nalis s o de ine he o-
cabula y wi h which jou nalism can and should be
e alua ed” (Heikkilä & Kunelius, 1998: 81). Thei
a icle was hus no in ended as an analy ical mod-
el o pa icipa o y jou nalism, bu i did, howe e ,
poin ou o he hen eme ging no ion o pa icipa-
ion in i s conclusion:
“The challenge o jou nalism is no only o
hink abou , who can pa icipa e, bu also
abou , wha so o si ua ions a e c ea ed o
pa icipa ion.” (Heikkilä & Kunelius, 1998:
82)
I is exac ly his la e ques ion ha holds analy -
ical po en ial. The si ua ions ha jou nalism c ea es
o pa icipa ion could be zoomed in o by b eaking
down he concep o pa icipa ion in o he elemen s
o access, dialogue and delibe a ion. This can help
in iden i ying he pa icipa o y si ua ions and as-
sessing whe he hey a e democ acy-suppo ing o
no . In a la e piece by Ah a, Heikkilä and Kunelius
(2015), he analy ical powe o he h ee elemen s
was discussed in he con ex o digi al jou nalism. I
was concluded ha e en i he h ee concep s de i e
om he mass media e a, hey can s ill be used o
analyze he democ a ic po en ial o jou nalism in he
ne wo ked en i onmen ha may appea as decei -
ingly la and open.
To be able o c i ically examine he kinds o pa -
icipa o y si ua ions ha a e c ea ed in local jou nal-
ism, we will nuance he o iginal io o access, dia-
logue and delibe a ion wi h mo e ecen models and
indings (Ca pen ie 2015; Ah a 2017). This means
ha we will also conside , wha people become pa
o when hey pa icipa e in jou nalism (c . Ca pen i-
e 2011; 2015). Fo example, Ah a (2017) iden i ied
i e di e en domains o which ci izens’ pa icipa ion
was o ien ed o in h ee di e en ou le s. Thei pa -
icipa o y ac i i ies we e o ien ed o (1) public li e
o poli ics, bu also (2) jou nalis ic con en p oduc-
67
Su le jou nalisme - Abou jou nalism - Sob e jo nalismo - Vol 7, n°2 - 2018
ion, (3) communi ies ha un he publica ions, (4)
cul u al side-p ojec s and p oduc ion such as ilm,
li e a u e and hea e and (5) ca ee possibili ies be-
yond he ou le s hey wo ked wi h. This means ha
when ci izens we e pa icipa ing in jou nalism hey
became pa o i e domains: (1) he public sphe e,
(2) jou nalis ic wo k p ocess, (3) o ganiza ions o
communi ies, (4) cul u al ield, as well as (5) wo k-
ing li e. The h ee i s ones we e he mos p e alen
domains, and hence hey a e in eg a ed below in o
he discussion o access, dialogue and delibe a ion.
Access. Heikkilä and Kunelius (1998) a gue ha
access is a concep ha i s well in o he ocabula y
o bo h p o essional jou nalis s and heo is s o de-
moc acy. In he academic accoun s on pa icipa ion
and jou nalism, access also appea s as he concep
ha is mos ag eed upon (c . Domingo e al., 2008;
Ca pen ie , 2015). The idea is ha pa icipa o y
p ac ices should i s p o ide access o ci izens o
ge in, o gain p esence o isibili y in jou nalism
(Ah a e al., 2015; Ca pen ie , 2015; Domingo e
al., 2008; Pe e s & Wi schge, 2015). The ques ion
o access is abou paying a en ion o and ecogniz-
ing ci izens as public ac o s. Hence, access can help
in iden i ying how open he ga es eally a e o ci i-
zens in jou nalism (Singe e al., 2011).
The idea o gaining access can be u he elabo-
a ed in e ms o whe e is i exac ly ha jou nalism
p o ides access o (see Table 1). He e we can sep-
a a e he possibili ies o access o he communi y
o p ac ice (Wenge , 1998) ha coo dina es publica-
ion, om gaining access in o he con en p oduc ion
p ocess. The o me e e s o he idea o gaining a
ype o membe ship in a g oup, be i a p ojec eam,
news oom o ganiza ion o a loose ne wo k. The la -
e , in u n, e e s o gaining an en y in o how s o-
ies a e o e ed, selec ed and aken in o p oduc ion.
Las ly, access o he public sphe e e e s o he idea
ha ci izens do no me ely ge engaged because hey
a e in e es ed in becoming membe s o a commu-
ni y o p oducing s o ies, bu because hey ha e an
in e es in b inging o h (neglec ed/ma ginal) issues
ha should be e lec ed upon in he public sphe e
and hence seek ecogni ion o hem. In his ype o
access, ci izens can become ecognized as pa o so-
cie y h ough he oppo uni ies ha he media o e s
o public sel - ep esen a ion (Ca pen ie , 2011: 67).
Dialogue. A e gaining access, possibili ies o
dialogue eme ge. The p ocess o dialogue can b ing
many bene i s o democ a ic li e: o ien a ion owa d
cons uc i e communica ion, dispelling o s e eo-
ypes, hones y in elaying ideas, and he in en ion o
lis en o and unde s and he o he (McCoy & Scully,
2002: 117). We can ask how jou nalism is able o
help in c ea ing and sus aining he quali ies lis ed
abo e by p oducing exchange (ins ead o me ely
p o iding in o ma ion). In jou nalism, dialogue can
be seen as a ecip ocal me hod o ep esen ing so-
cial eali ies as well as including ci izens in ex ensi e
consul a ion be o e o a e he s o ies a e made
(Heikkilä & Kunelius, 1998; Ah a e al., 2015; Pe-
e s & Wi schge, 2015). Lewis e al. (2014) a gue
ha ecip oci y is a key componen in he c ea ion
o us , connec edness and social capi al and ha
jou nalism, especially communi y jou nalism, should
and could ocus mo e on enabling o ms o pa ici-
pa ion ha mu ually bene i all he in ol ed ac o s.
Ca pen ie (2015), oo, e e s o he ole o media in
p oducing socio-communica i e ela ions, e en i he
uses he no ion o in e ac ion ins ead o dialogue2.
The ole o jou nalism he e is o ac as a acili a o
ha helps di e en pe spec i es mee each o he –
ins ead o he pe spec i es e ading o des uc i ely
con on ing each o he .
Again, we see i use ul o ecognize ha his e-
cip ocal exchange may happen in a ious domains
(see Table 1). Fi s , i is ea u ed in he domain o
communi ies o p ac ice in which people ac oge h-
e hus c ea ing a sense o sha ed pu pose and be-
longing. Dialogue can also be p esen in jou nalis ic
con en p oduc ion, in ecip ocal news-making p ac-
ices ha a e based on bo h, speaking and lis ening
(Ananny, 2014: 364-365) and hus acili a e possibili-
ies o social in e ac ion. Las ly, dialogue in he pub-
lic sphe e e e s o public exchange o iewpoin s as
ep esen ed in he jou nalis ic ex s o ea u ed in
he commen sec ions ela ed o he a icles. This
exchange can hen esul in ( e) o mula ion o he
issues ha equi e public a en ion.
Delibe a ion. The concep o delibe a ion
shi s ou a en ion o e icacy and whe he i is
possible o make a di e ence wi h pa icipa ion
(McCoy & Scully, 2002: 118; Ah a e al., 2015). A
delibe a i e p ocess allows pa icipan s o e lec
upon hei iews, and in his easoning p ocess
hey migh be able o p oduce some hing ha hey
could no wo k ou on hei own (Ba be , 1984;
Heikkilä & Kunelius, 1998). In e ms o jou nal-
ism c i icism his means ha wi h his concep we
can assess whe he and o wha deg ee jou nalism
is ac ing as a ca alys no only o e lec ion and
exchange, bu also ac ion and change, so ha ci i-
zens a e in ol ed in he p ocess and play a ole in
he o ma ion o public opinion and decision-mak-
ing (Heikkilä & Kunelius, 1998: 71). Ca pen ie
(2015) e e s o his hi d s ep wi h he no ion o
pa icipa ion i sel , bu we sugges ha pa icipa-
ion is he ou come o he h ee s eps. Howe e ,
Ca pen ie ’s (2015: 9, 16) poin abou co-decid-
ing as an in eg al pa o pa icipa ion, should be
no ed he e: we see ha delibe a ion ha builds
68 Lau a Ah a, Vic o Wia d - Pa icipa ion in Local Jou nalism
on dialogue, is one possible way o co-decide and
sha e powe .
To be able o use delibe a ion as an analy ical
ca ego y, we need o conside , again, he a ious do-
mains (Table 1). Fi s , we can iden i y delibe a ion
among people in he communi ies o p ac ice: in his
domain, pa icipan s can ha e an impac on how he
communi ies a e un. As a esul , us and sense
o join pu pose may esul (McCoy & Scully, 2002:
122). Second, he s ep o delibe a ion o e con en
p oduc ion is impo an in ha i allows pa icipan s
o in luence wha is ul ima ely conside ed as jou nal-
ism o news. Las ly, delibe a ion can be assessed in
ela ion o public sphe e. He e we can ask, whe he
pa icipa o y jou nalism plays any ole in how he
de ec ed issues a e deal wi h and sol ed in public.
In Table 1, we ha e summa ized he discussion
abo e. We p opose he able as a ma ix model o
analyzing and assessing he democ a ic po en ial o
pa icipa o y jou nalism. This combina ion also p o-
ides a me hodological oolki .
EsEa Ch quEs ions
Th ough he no ions o access, dialogue and de-
libe a ion we wish o know mo e abou he pa ici-
pa o y si ua ions c ea ed in he wo dis inc i e case
s udies, hence asking:
(RQ1) Wha a e he speci ici ies o pa icipa o y
p ac ices o wo di e en local ou le s ega ding ac-
cess, dialogue and delibe a ion?
By hinking h ough he esul s wi h he h ee do-
mains in mind, we wan o assess he en i e b ead h
o pa icipa ion in hese app oaches:
(RQ2) Wha do he wo cases ell us abou he
po en ials and limi a ions o he di e se o ms ha
pa icipa ion in local jou nalism adop s?
Two cases o local pa icipa o y jou nalism
The wo case s udies a e (1) a ci izen-based online
ini ia i e in B ussels, Belgium, he Dewey p ojec 3,
and (2) a p o essionally-p oduced p in publica ion
in S ockholm, Sweden, Söd a Sidan. They ep esen
di e en app oaches o pa icipa o y jou nalism in
e ms o hei main publishing pla o ms (p in s.
online), o ganiza ion (p o essional s. ci izen) and
unding basis ( o -p o i and ad e ising based s.
non-p o i and olun ee based). Howe e , hey also
ea u e simila i ies. Fi s ly, on op o p in , Söd a
Sidan has a websi e and social media p esence (e en
i no e y ac i e), and one o he jou nalis s pub-
lishes an independen online neighbo hood si e as a
side-p ojec ; and wo online Dewey ou le s also pub-
lish pape e sions o hei a icles, one as qua e -
ly magazines and o he as lea le s sha ed in public
enues. Secondly, bo h ope a e in u ban, capi al ci y
a eas and co e ou di e en municipali ies, mak-
ing hem hyb ids be ween he egional, local and
hype local le els. Las ly, hey sha e a philosophy o
pa icipa ion.
Dewey is a non-p o i ha was launched by a
hand ul o ci izen o he municipali y o Schae beek
in B ussels in 2014. The p ojec ocused a i s on a-
cili a ing he p oduc ion o ci izen news o a websi e
and a qua e ly hype local p in publica ion4 in one
municipali y, bu la e on g ew wi h demands om
indi iduals om o he dis ic s o B ussels. Cu en -
ly, Dewey is a ne wo k o ou hype local and pa ic-
ipa o y online news pla o ms: Ezels ad, Wha o ,
Dazibao and Pixels5. The ou p ojec s a e o di e -
en size: he numbe o ac i e con ibu o s a ies
Table 1: Ma ix model o analyzing pa icipa o y jou nalism.
Pa icipa o y
s ep Domain
Access
(How o ge in?)
Dialogue
(How o p oduce exchange?)
Delibe a ion
(How o make a di e ence?)
Communi y o p ac ice Ge ing en ance in o he
p ojec o o ganiza ion ha
uns he publica ion
Building o ecip ocal
ela ionships and a sense o
belonging wi h communi y
membe s
Making a di e ence in how
he communi y o he p ojec
is un, inding join goals
Con en p oduc ion
p ocess
Gaining an en y in o o e -
ing, selec ing and p oducing
s o ies
Exe cising news ga he ing
and p esen a ion p ac ices
ha acili a e in e ac ion
In luencing decisions o e con-
en and e en ually also wha
is conside ed as news
Public sphe e Gaining ecogni ion as an
ac i e agen and pa icipan
in public issues
Engaging in public exchange
o iews ha esul s in issue
o mula ion
Ha ing an impac on how
p oblems a e sol ed ia public
easoning and p essu e

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Su le jou nalisme - Abou jou nalism - Sob e jo nalismo - Vol 7, n°2 - 2018
om 1 o 10 and o e ime in each hype local, as
some pa icipan s only con ibu e o he p ojec oc-
casionally. The hy hms and s yles o he ou le s also
di e , as does he numbe o iewe s (be ween a ew
dozen and a ew hund ed, and con o e sial i ems
eaching up o 10 000 single use s’ iews on a e oc-
casions). The websi es a e, howe e , uni ed h ough
he discussions be ween he ounde s, h ough a
common aes he ics o all he websi es, and a com-
mon edi o ial policy. Dewey desc ibes i sel as p o-
ducing local, plu al and p ac ical in o ma ion in a
manne o ci izen, hype local and cons uc i e jou -
nalism. The pa icipan s a e o en in ol ed in o he
local p ojec s as well, and usually belong o a leas
one o he h ee ca ego ies: (1) hey ha e close ies
o jou nalism bu a e no ull- ime employees (pho-
og aphe s, ee-lance s, esea che s), (2) hey a e
e y ac i e wi hin he local communi ies (p omo ing
local ga dens, al e na i e means o anspo a ion,
o igh ing agains p i a e housing p ojec s), o (3)
hey ha e a high cul u al capi al (s uden s, local a -
is s, e c.). Ha ing said his, i is clea ha he ou
hype local g oups ha e ye o build wide communi-
y bases, including ci izens om all walks o li e.
Söd a Sidan (The Sou he n Side)6 is a local ee
newspape o he sou he n subu bs o S ockholm
in Sweden. The pape comes ou in p in (and in
pd - o m online) once a week and i has home deli -
e y. The pape was es ablished in 2006 as a coun-
e -mo e o ano he local newspape , which many
el igno ed he possibili ies o public deba e and
p oblem-sol ing (Beckman, 2011). The pa icipa-
o y ideals o he Ame ican-based public jou nalism
mo emen (Haas, 2007) ha e been an in eg al pa
o Söd a Sidan’s philosophy om he s a . This
means ha he pape wishes o engage i s eade s
in i s jou nalis ic p ocess wi h he aim o make he
local public sphe e mo e di e se and open o peo-
ple o ac as ci izens. The news oom, o example,
o ganizes so called eade panels o in i e people o
discuss cu en e en s o base i s co e age on hese
con e sa ions. The sou he n subu bs in S ockholm
ha e a ela i ely high numbe o esiden s wi h im-
mig an backg ound and hey ha e been ega ded o
su e ei he om ina en ion o excessi e nega i e
a en ion by he mains eam media (Beckman, 2011:
33). The e o e, Söd a Sidan aims o ep esen local
neighbo hood li e and i s di e si y ai ly in e ms o
e hnici y, gende and age. The pape is a ully ad e -
isemen - unded ini ia i e and om 2011 onwa ds
pa ly owned by a la ge newspape chain. The ed-
i o ial eam consis s o i e o se en people and he
eam ea u es ull- ime s, pa - ime s and eelanc-
e s. Ci izen collabo a ion is ca ied ou wi h a ious
g oups, bu he news oom appea s o be especially
well connec ed wi h local associa ions, spo s clubs,
you h and cul u al cen e s as well as schools.
Ma e ials and me hods
The p ima y ma e ial o his esea ch is com-
posed o obse a ions and in e iews. A Söd a
Sidan, a se en day-long pe iod allowed he obse -
a ion o daily news wo k and in e ac ions be ween
jou nalis s and ci izens. A o al o 11 in-dep h in-
e iews we e conduc ed wi h 12 in e iewees: i e
wi h jou nalis s, one wi h he edi o in chie and
six wi h ci izens ha had pa icipa ed in a eade
panel o he newspape . A Dewey, ac i e pa ici-
pan -obse a ion has been aking place o he las
wo yea s, wi h one o us ac ually launching one o
he hype locals. E en hough he obse a ion pe iod
was longe , i was mo e spo adic and closely in e -
wined wi h ac i e pa icipa ion. A se ies o 11 in e -
iews we e conduc ed7: h ee wi h p ojec leade s
and eigh wi h pa icipan s. Al oge he , he ma e ial
p esen s limi a ions in ha i o iginally s ems om
wo di e en esea ch p ojec s, and ea u es wo
di e en languages (Swedish and F ench). None he-
less, he ma e ial p o ides a di e si ied ye compa-
able ma e ial o 22 in e iews in o al, along wi h
obse a ion and he use o published con en o e -
i y and en ich da a. All exce p s p esen ed in he
analysis ha e been ansla ed by he au ho s om
Swedish and F ench o English. The in e iewees
a e anonymized bu coded wi h numbe s o sepa a e
hem om one ano he (e.g. D1= in e iewee 1 o m
Dewey, S2 = in e iewee 2 om Söd a Sidan).
The analysis o he da a ollowed a heo y-d i en
quali a i e analysis. We c ea ed he ma ix model
o analysis o he da a wi h nine speci ic ca ego ies
(see Table 1, abo e). In e iews as well as no es
we e ca e ully ead and coded in o nine ca ego ies.
Fo linguis ic and p ac ical easons, each o us cod-
ed hei own in e iews, e en i we me egula ly
du ing he analysis o speci y he ca ego ies and o
make su e hey held he same meanings. Once all
quo es om all in e iewees and obse a ions we e
placed in he ma ix, we summa ized ou indings by
sea ching o meaning ul hickenings as well as con-
adic ions in he da a. Discussing and compa ing
esul s ac oss he h ee s eps, he h ee le els, and
he wo ope a ions, allowed us o analyze he da a in
a sys ema ic manne .
Esul s
Acces
Dewey. Ou indings indica e ha access is a key
componen o he Dewey p ojec as i is in ac a
key elemen o he p ojec ’s edi o ial policy, join ly
de eloped by he ou hype locals. The homepages
o he a ious websi es8 s a e ha Dewey aims a
70 Lau a Ah a, Vic o Wia d - Pa icipa ion in Local Jou nalism
building “plu al in o ma ion” which is no news “ ha
emana es o only one g oup o one au ho i y, bu
news ha s a s wi h locals and allows di e en so-
cial g oups o communica e”. Acco ding o his phi-
losophy, access o he p ojec is open and acili a -
ed by he leade s o each hype local. As a cen al
p inciple, all mee ings a e open. Ci izens a e in i ed
o pa icipa e in he p ojec h ough e en s (dissem-
ina ed by mailing lis s, pape lea le s and on social
media), websi es calls and in o mal con e sa ions.
Howe e , his obse a ion has o be coun e balanced
wi h he ac ha he ou ini ia i es a e s ill modes
in e ms o public ecogni ion, he e o e no all po-
en ial pa icipan s e en know abou he p ojec s.
Fu he mo e, as no ed abo e, he p ojec has so a
mainly been able o a ac he a en ion o ce ain
kinds o ac o s (ac i e ci izens, o en wi h high cul-
u al capi al o ies o p o essional jou nalism).
In e ms o con en p oduc ion p ocess, access is
also made as easy as possible. The ou hype locals
use Wo dP ess as a con en managemen sys em
and y o make he pla o m accessible by p o iding
u o ials and ad ice. Howe e , many use s pe cei e
di icul ies and a e o en a aid o use he sys em.
The obs acles a e bypassed by sending ex s di ec ly
ia email o social media messaging o leade s who
hen edi and o ma he news pieces. This is also
how pa icipan s who a e less in e es ed in w i ing
hemsel es, can s ill send con en o be o ma ed
and published by o he s. The pa icipan s app eci-
a e he way access in o he p oduc ion p ocess is
assis ed:
“I is all e y ee and in o mal. A ha mo-
men [a e a i s ace o ace con e sa ion]
he [a p ojec leade ] added me o he mailing
lis o he w i e s’ g oup o discuss, o see how
hey handled he con en ool [Wo dP ess]
and he codes o access he pla o m.” (D7)
In o mal aining hus plays a ole in accessing
he p oduc ion p ocess a Dewey. Access o con en
p oduc ion p ocesses is also gua an eed by o ganiz-
ing mee ings and by collec i ely co ec ing and ed-
i ing he a icles, o en on GoogleDocs. Dewey has
also o e ed access in o he p ojec s h ough a ious
o he ac i i ies, mainly wo kshops and e en s, which
allows membe s o s ep in. This esona es wi h he
idea ha pa icipa ion can in some cases also occu
beyond jou nalism and spill ou o a ious side p o-
jec s acco ding o indi idual in e es s (Ah a, 2017).
The e o e, building g oup cohesion and di iding
asks play a big ole, as s a ed by a p ojec leade :
“Pe sonally, I ake he lead [a deciding opics
and s a ing a icles] mo e a he momen ,
and he p ojec always needs me o ge hings
going. Howe e , [ano he pa icipan o he
p ojec ] is always he e wi h me o he logis-
ics and p ac icali ies. And hen [o he pa ic-
ipan ] has a big alen o go and alk o people
we don’ know: wi hou he we would be los
du ing ou in es iga ions. And hen [o he
pa icipan ] akes ca e o he d awings.” (D3)
Finally, pa icipan s o Dewey ha e aken an
in e es in public issues h ough he p ojec . Mo e
han jus o hemsel es, hey y o be he oice o
local indi iduals and g oups. Fo example, one pa -
icipan (D10), s a ed how a hype local had helped
in “ elaying he oice o hese people o a la ge au-
dience” in a case o ci izen ga dening p ojec .
Söd a Sidan. Gaining an en ance in o Söd a
Sidan as a news-p oducing o ganiza ion is mo e lim-
i ed han a Dewey due o he ac ha he p o es-
sional eam is no elian on ci izens on a day- o-day
basis. The e o e, access o Söd a Sidan’s communi y
is sus ained in a mo e symbolic ein, o example
h ough he use o accessible language in he s o-
ies and he use o local people in pho os so ha
eade s eel included. Fu he mo e, “e e y ime you
in e iew people, you also ie hem o he pape ”
exp essed a jou nalis (S6).
Howe e , mo e conc e e means o ge in o he
o ganiza ion a e some imes opened, and he e he
main me hod consis s o o ganizing eade panels.
This e e s o a p ac ice in which he newspape in-
i es ci izens – ei he di ec ly ia emails and phone
calls, o openly ia ads in he pape – o join a panel
o 8–12 people o discuss a ious issues in he news-
oom o in o he local enues. I is e y ypical ha
panelis s a e sough om among indi iduals who
ha e had p e ious engagemen wi h he newspape .
The edi o in chie no ed how sensi i e he ec ui -
men p ocess is o hese panels and he expe ienced
he p essu e o be able o ga he oge he a ep e-
sen a i e panel o “ egula people” om he egion.
Resul s a Söd a Sidan di e om Dewey in
e ms o access o p oduc ion p ocesses, because
he possibili ies o p oduce ci izen con en a e
mo e limi ed. The pape does in i e locals o w i e
eade le e s, blog pos s o columns, bu he in-
e iewed panel membe s we e no in i ed o
con ibu e con en , a he o o e he jou nalis s
hemes hey would wan o see co e ed (you h,
c iminali y and schools we e men ioned, o exam-
ple) and ma e ial o s o ies. Howe e , no all op-
ics we e aken in o accoun , showing how p o es-
sional con ol ac ed as a ga ekeeping o ce. In his
case, access o he p ocess was mo e es ic ed
and s uc u ed. Ne e heless, gaining access in o
he panel had made i e y conc e e o one o he
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Su le jou nalisme - Abou jou nalism - Sob e jo nalismo - Vol 7, n°2 - 2018
pa icipan s how he newspape sus ains he local
public sphe e:
“When you ac ually ge a chance o, how do I
exp ess his, o ge in wi hin he local newspa-
pe , you ac ually unde s and how impo an
hei wo k is and ha ac ually hey a e doing
i o a pu pose. – I ac ually, i is also a good,
no ma ke ing, bu a good way o p omo e he
communi y o ac ually de elop.” (S11)
Access o he public sphe e was also ecognized
by a emale panel membe who had spen he pas
yea s a home ca ing o wo child en as a possibil-
i y o “become pa o socie y” (S9). And ano he
membe exp essed how he el ha wi h his public
appea ance he could show eade s ha a “guy like
me” (S10, s uden wi h immig an backg ound) can
appea in he pape so ha his pee s migh also eel
ep esen ed.
Dialogue
Söd a Sidan. Whe eas access appea s as he key
dimension o he pa icipa o y p ocess in Dewey, in
Söd a Sidan i is dialogue. Dialogue was i idly ap-
pa en in all he iden i ied h ee domains. One o
he jou nalis s no ed in an in e iew ha “i is kind
o impossible o do public jou nalism wi hou alking
wi h people.” (S4)
Dialogue in he news making p ocess was close-
ly in e linked wi h dialogue in he Söd a Sidan’s ex-
ended communi y o p ac ice, be ween jou nalis s
and ci izens. Howe e , o pa icipan s, ci izen- o-ci -
izen dialogue was he single mos mo i a ing and e-
wa ding aspec in he eade panel expe ience. The
alks we e desc ibed as pleasan , su p ising, di e se
and li ely, and acili a ion was app ecia ed. The
well-guided and dialogic panel con e sa ions we e
alued e en by one o he mos c i ical panelis s,
who c i icized access in ha his opics we e no ak-
en up, bu alued guided dialogue. Many men ioned
ha he mee ings challenged hei p ejudices abou
o he esiden s, and one exp essed how he alks
had made he “ eel impo an ” (S11). The panel de-
ba es showed he di e si y o opinions and helped o
ind issue o mula ions, o ge o he “g ound p ob-
lems” (S9).
On op o panels, o he p oduc ion p ac ices a
Söd a Sidan can also be desc ibed as dialogic. Jou -
nalis s unde lined ha much mo e han in o he
news ooms hey had wo ked o , a Söd a Sidan
hey we e expec ed o do epo ing “ou in he ield”
in o de o mee people in pe son. Fo ins ance, a
epo e desc ibed how his assignmen was o in e -
iew a local Facebook g oup ac i is and he decid-
ed o mee him ou doo s, a he local ma ke place,
which led o an unplanned, dialogic g oup in e iew
o locals who joined in. In addi ion, in he news oom,
he edi o o en guided his s a o “lis en ca e ully”
o people o ge o he bo om o hei iews.
Dialogue in he public domain was, ne e he-
less, s ongly shaped by jou nalis s’ ac ions, and no
hose o ci izens, whose impac was limi ed o he
ea ly s ages o he p oduc ion p ocesses. Howe e ,
his app oach allowed jou nalis s o guide he pub-
lic discussion “beyond p imal eac ions”, as summa-
ized by he edi o -in-chie , and c ea e dialogue in
he public domain. Fo example, in a s o y conce n-
ing he possible es ablishmen o an asylum seeke s’
ecep ion cen e , he jou nalis s posi ioned a a i-
e y o ac o s, such as he police, esiden s, asylum
seeke s, local poli icians and o icials, in a dialogic
ela ionship.
Dewey. A Dewey, dialogue a he communi y
o p ac ice le el happens a mee ings and pa ies,
public e en s and o he andom encoun e s, as well
as online ia Facebook and emails. These in e ac-
ions allow pa icipan s o ge o know each o he
bu also discuss wha he p ojec should co e and
how. Indi iduals can also ind ideas o s o y opics
and discuss each o he ’s wo k. This indica es ha
communi y dialogue eeds in o he p oduc ion p o-
cess. This is especially clea in ha he w i ing and
edi ing p ocess can be ecip ocal:
“E e y ime someone w i es an a icle he can
submi i o e ision. We ha e a Facebook
page o “con ibu o s”. I you ha e ime o
ead, you can e ise i . I depends on who as
well, bu [p ojec leade ] always submi s his
a icles and you can commen i , di ec ly on
he websi e. O he s use Google Docs and hen
[same p ojec leade ] pu s in on he websi e.”
(D9)
The Dewey p ojec he e o e os e s dialogue in
con en p oduc ion p ocess in ha a lo o alk o-
cuses on wha he a icles should look like. These
in e ac ions esul in o iginal pieces and s yles o
co e age, such as 20 pages long one-on-one in e -
iew, a gende -neu al in e iew, poems o in e ac-
i e maps. Dialogue is hus good o in e nal g oup
cohesion and c ea i i y, bu i can also slow down
p oduc ion p ocesses o he poin ha some hype -
locals ha e e y ew published s o ies:
“I con inuously y o ha e a high pe cen age
o iendly momen s and no o jump in o “do-
ing”, o ha e un and spend a nice e ening. I
don’ ca e ha we a e going o spend 20 %
o he ime alking abou [one o he hype lo-
72 Lau a Ah a, Vic o Wia d - Pa icipa ion in Local Jou nalism
cals] and 80 % o he ime doing some hing
else, i is ok. I ealize ha i is e en neces-
sa y.” (D3)
The main p oblem o his dialogical na u e o
communi y building and con en c ea ion is ha a
lo o ene gy and ime is in es ed in discussions and
e lec ions a he expense o ac ion, which has e en
made some indi iduals lea e Dewey – a pa adoxical
esul , conside ing he access- ocused aim o he p o-
jec . Added o he you h o Dewey as a p ojec and
i s lack o expe ience and esou ces, dialogue a he
le el o communi y and p oduc ion p ocess seems o
p e en he p ojec om gene a ing ac i e dialogue
in he local public sphe e, e en i i is a goal o he
p ojec in i sel .
Delibe a ion
Dewey. The dialogic na u e o Dewey in he do-
mains o communi y and con en p oduc ion eeds
in o how pa icipan s can ha e an impac o e he
p ojec ’s cou se o ac ion. Hence delibe a ion is
mos p esen in hese domains, oo. Pa icipan s a e
able o in luence he goals ha a e se as well as
he ypes o s o ies ha ge published. This, in he
end, opens up a way o ha e an impac on wha is
ega ded as news. This is isible when indi iduals
o e o gi e hei consen o e ce ain decisions in
he mee ings:
“We ha e o ganized a wo kshop a [a local
ca é]. I was a wo kshop o e lec on he op-
ics, i was e y nice, i allowed us o see wha
e e yone deemed impo an . We applied he
p inciples o collec i e media ion o ind op-
ics ha ga he ed consensus.” (D7)
Howe e , some imes leade s o he hype lo-
cals ake decisions by hemsel es o p ac ical and
ime-sensi i e easons, hus sidelining he mo e
sha ed decision-making p ocess. Fu he mo e, de-
cision-making ega ding con en p oduc ion o en
akes a a he inac i e o m o silen consen du -
ing mee ings o on GoogleDocs pla o m when com-
men s a e me ely accep ed by he o iginal w i e
wi hou u he e lec ion. This poin s ou ha be-
yond opic selec ion, Dewey is acing challenges in
s imula ing delibe a ion and hus sha ing powe o e
he news p oduc ion p ocess.
Hence Dewey also emains as a a he modes
acili a o o local public delibe a ion. The published
ex s do gi e he pa icipan s as well “ eal people”
(D6) ea u ed in he s o ies a public oice in locally
ele an public issues, and occasional eac ions o
local poli icians and communi y leade s, mainly on
social media, indica e a ce ain le el o public ecog-
ni ion. Bu o he wise, we ound li le e idence ha
he hype locals ha e a signi ican impac on local
public delibe a ion.
Söd a Sidan. A Söd a Sidan, he newspape is
seen as an ac i e agen in public delibe a ion and
p oblem-sol ing. The desc ip ion on he newspa-
pe ’s Facebook page s a es: “I is impo an o us o
be oo ed in people’s s o ies, o acili a e mee ings
ac oss di e en social ba ie s and o ocus on solu-
ions.” The philosophy o public jou nalism (Haas,
2007) a Söd a Sidan has been de eloped owa ds
a solu ion-o ien ed di ec ion. This means ha he
dialogic app oach o posi ioning a ious oices in a
ecip ocal ela ionship is no conside ed enough –
he ul ima e aim is o each, h ough delibe a ion,
possible solu ions o collec i ely ecognized issues.
Jou nalis s see ha hey “cons an ly ha e a o-
cus on solu ions” (S2). In addi ion, he willingness
o ind solu ions o he communi y’s p oblems was
gi en as a mo i a ion by a couple o he panelis s
o a end he panel, and he e we e o he s who ex-
p essed an unde ined idea o “ha e an impac ” (S9).
In o he wo ds, he delibe a i e and solu ion-seeking
e hos in he domain o public sphe e is s ong in
Söd a Sidan’s app oach, e en i he ac ual impac o
his app oach is mo e di icul o e alua e. Some o
he panelis s exp essed ha hei pa icipa ion had
an impac on how hey engaged in online and o line
discussions wi h hei pee s a e he s o ies we e
published, bu he e we e mo e men ions on how
li le, in he end, hei pa icipa ion a ec ed hei
su oundings.
I you compa e Söd a Sidan o Dewey, ci izens
he e do no ha e as di ec an impac o in luence
he way how he o ganiza ion is un. Ne e heless,
he delibe a i e dimension o Söd a Sidan’s o gan-
iza ion becomes appa en h ough he willingness
o he news oom s a o ake ci izens’ sugges ions
se iously. Sugges ions a e e y seldom igno ed: a
phone call om a ci izen ypically esul s ei he in
a p omise by a jou nalis o check he issue o a
po en ial s o y, o in an in i a ion o he ci izen o
w i e a le e o a column on he opic.
In he domain o con en p oduc ion, delibe a-
ion is appa en a Söd a Sidan in ha ci izens a e
aken along as public delibe a o s on he pages o
he newspape . This is especially he case in a s o-
y ype called “På o ge ”9, which is desc ibed as a
“delibe a i e news ea u e” (Beckman, 2011) and
highligh ed as he si e in which local people ge o
do “public easoning” (S2) as “ac i e c ea o s o lo-
cal communi y” (S1). In he p ocess o making “På
o ge ”-s o ies, delibe a ion wi h sou ces may esul
in changing he s o y heme o iewpoin al oge h-
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Su le jou nalisme - Abou jou nalism - Sob e jo nalismo - Vol 7, n°2 - 2018
P .No âmbi o da discussão a ual sob e o papel da pa icipação no jo nalismo, es e
a igo p opõe analisa as p á icas pa icipa i as no con ex o local. Inspi ados
na c í ica do jo nalismo, analisamos as o mas de pa icipação cidadã em dois
p oje os especí icos. O p imei o consis e de uma ede associa i a de si es de no ícias hipe -
locais em B uxelas (Bélgica), chamada de Dewey ASBL. O segundo é um jo nal semanal
g a ui o e p o issional p oduzido em Es ocolmo (Suécia), chamado de Söd a Sidan. O es u-
do e e como base 22 en e is as semies u u adas, bem como pe íodos de obse ação nas
duas es u u as. A pa icipação, nos dois p oje os, oi examinada po meio de um modelo
ma icial em ês ní eis: (1) a comunidade local, (2) as p á icas de p odução, e (3) a es e a
pública local; e ambém po ês e apas: (1) o acesso, (2) o diálogo, e (3) a delibe ação.
O obje i o oi examina como os cidadãos conside a am a possibilidade de pa icipa no
no iciá io local. Embo a a pa icipação es eja no âmago do DNA desses dois p oje os, os
esul ados mos am que ela se ealiza de o ma dis in a em cada um deles: o Dewey ga an e
um acesso ao p óp io p oje o, bem como à p odução de in o mações, en ando esponsa-
biliza os indi íduos e ambém da a eles meios de se exp imi ; já a abo dagem do Söd a
Sidan é mais e icaz no que diz espei o às e apas de diálogo e de delibe ação e, assim, os
cidadãos in luenciam a manei a na qual os p oblemas são a ados na es e a pública local
pelos jo nalis as. Es a compa ação e idencia a plu alidade de o mas e de signi icações que
a pa icipação ado a no con ex o local.
Pala as-cha e: No ícias locais, jo nalismo local, pa icipação, acesso, diálogo, delibe ação