The semi-professional journalist: reconnecting with communities rather than creating hyperlocal disruption

The term ‘hyperlocal’ has become a key point of discussion in local journalism in recent decades, with educators increasingly seeking to bring awareness of an emergent sector which is often considered as a disruptor of traditional practices and publications. However, a space which might once have been categorised and framed via alternate mechanisms of production is now a diverse landscape which includes a number of those who once operated in the traditional journalism arena now found in the space beyond professional reporting. In this paper, I seek to highlight how the concept and experiences of the semi-professional reporter, who can draw on connections with journalism practice either through industry experience or training, is seeking to retain principles, values and methods of production rather than seeking to disrupt the sector as has previously been suggested. Through my own 12-month diary, interviews with other publishers and contemporary experiences as a website and newspaper editor operating in the space often referred to as hyperlocal, it is possible to identify nuances and better understand the landscape which can increasingly provide an outlet and opportunity for reporters entering or re-entering the journalism industry.