A newly published case study delves into the world of hyperlocal journalism and local news blogs, and wonders if Internet increases the public scrunity and monitoring of local democracy.

Published in the journal Digital Journalism, and written by Tony Harcup of University of Sheffield, the case study examines the claims that online alternative hyperlocal journalism is helping to address society’s “democratic deficit”. Harcup studies the local news site Leeds Citizen.

He interviewed the site’s creator, analyzed the content of the website and discusses the result within the context of scholarly literature on how alternative, non-commercial forms of journalism operate in the digital age.

Read the article here (abstract public).