A match made in heaven or a deal with the devil?

That’s the question newspapers are asking as they mull how closely to integrate content from rival hyperlocal news sites into their own operations.

Five news organizations – including four newspapers – hope to find some answers as a result of a yearlong project designed to determine how papers can more effectively work with grassroots journalism programs.

The four papers, the Seattle Times, the Miami Herald, the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer and the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times – along with online news site TucsonCitizen.com – are participating in the Networked Journalism Project, backed by American University’s Interactive Journalism Institute and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Continue Reading »