LocalLabs
Formerly called | Journatic |
|---|---|
| Private | |
| Industry | Digital media, journalism |
| Founded | June 1, 2006[1] (as BlockShopper) |
| Headquarters |
53 West Jackson Blvd, #560 Chicago, Illinois 60604, United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people |
|
| Services | Hyperlocal content service |
| Parent | Partially owned by Tribune Co. |
| Divisions | Blockshopper |
| Website | LocalLabs.com |
LocalLabs (formerly known as Journatic before 2014[2]) and BlockShopper before 2011, is an American commercial provider of content to media companies and marketers. It states that it delivers "original community news" to large media companies in the U.S.[3] The co-founder and CEO of Journatic was Brian Timpone. In 2011, the original company, Blockshopper, a real estate news and data website, morphed into Journatic[4] as a newspaper content service. According to Forbes, "Timpone, a former journalist, created Blockshopper.com "with a friend"".[5] The website reported on home purchases in 15 U.S. metropolitan areas as of 2010.[6]
"Original community news", also referred to as "hyper-local content", includes news items regarding local sporting events, awards, and council meetings. This content is then included in weekly community newspapers, and the "local" section of larger newspapers. Journatic uses contractors living inside and outside the United States to write content. It was found to use alias bylines in some of its news stories. According to Business Insider, "Timpone said Blockshopper went to aliases after writers began receiving threats from angry property owners."[7] Some newspapers said that newspapers "have always used content that appears with “fake” bylines, including advice columns such as Ann Landers."[8] Timpone discontinued the use of aliases.[7]
Following that public revelation, Timpone said in an email to staffers that the use of author aliases was an oversight that occurred after its clients published content from Blockshopper.com, a real estate information website owned by Journatic that systematically used author aliases for its writers.[9] The use of fake bylines would cause higher search engine ranking.[10] Timpone denied that author aliases were ever intentionally used for content provided to its clients. He apologized for the mistake.[9]
Business Insider quoted a media consultant who said "outsourced content providers like Journatic are here to stay, and properly employed, will help struggling newspaper companies do quality reporting more efficiently in the digital age."[7]
References
- ↑ "LocalLabs.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info - DomainTools". WHOIS. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
- ↑ http://jimromenesko.com/2014/04/14/hyperlocal-content-creator-journatic-is-renamed-locallabs/
- ↑ "Journatic Company Snapshot". Journatic. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ↑ https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/Common/CorrespondenceItemViewHandler.ashx?IsTIFF=true&filedDocumentid=8769138&version=2
- ↑ Fitch, Stephane (2010-08-26). "Blockshopper.com Outs Rich Homeowners, Sparking Glee and Anger". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
- ↑ Fitch, Stephane (2010-08-26). "Blockshopper.com Outs Rich Homeowners, Sparking Glee and Anger". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
- 1 2 3 Channick, Robert (July 4, 2012). "4 Major Papers Have Identified False Bylines From Content Provider Journatic". Business Insider. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
- ↑ Ingram, Mathew (July 4, 2012). "The uncomfortable truth behind the Journatic byline scandal — Tech News and Analysis". Gigaom.com. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
- 1 2 Tarkov, Anna (July 5, 2012). "Journatic CEO to staff: ‘Bumps are going to be part of the ride’ | Poynter". Poynter. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
- ↑ Johansen, Glenn Slydal (July 11, 2012). "Byline-skandale vekker oppsikt" [Byline scandal creates a stir]. Journalisten (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.