The Internet’s next frontier? News for your neighborhood

When regulators, industry leaders, and intellectuals rave about the rapid expansion of digital life via websites and blogs, you can count on them using terms like “empowerment” and “citizen journalism.” You can expect to hear about the virtues of huge social networks like Facebook or Youtube, especially from industry lobbyists who say these miracles obviate the need to regulate older media. What you’ll hear less often is praise for all the local news and information such sites provide. That’s because the Internet hasn’t quite figured that part out yet, and the sources that were supposed to provide this sort of fare—newspapers and broadcasters—are treading water, at best.

Tags: article, chicago talks, companion-photo, facebook, invalid, neighborhood, news, next-frontier, regulate-older, tech policy/news, youtube