Local Labs
Leading innovator in the creation and delivery of hyperlocal data and news.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | $1.4m | Debt | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Local Labs, LLC, founded in 2006 by Brian Timpone, operates as a collector and publisher of community-level public records. The firm's business model is centered on acquiring data from federal, state, and local governments, often through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and then processing and productizing this information for its clients. The company cleans and normalizes diverse and non-digital data sets to create content for news publishers and other media organizations. Clients have included some of the largest media companies in the U.S.
The company is part of a broader network of interconnected media entities associated with Timpone, which includes Metric Media and the Local Government Information Services (LGIS). This network manages a large number of websites that present content with a conservative viewpoint, often focusing on hyper-local news. The content generation process relies heavily on automation, data aggregation, and in some cases, content that is lightly copied or based on press releases. Timpone, a former journalist, has stated his conservative Republican stance openly and believes his publications align with a historical model of journalism that promotes specific political positions. The business has faced scrutiny for its methods, including its prior iteration as Journatic, which was criticized for using low-cost overseas labor and fake bylines.
Local Labs provides data for stories on topics such as local government activities, voter data analysis, and other public record-based reporting. The company's operations are powered by a proprietary technology platform that utilizes data management systems and an algorithm-driven workflow for content production. It has been noted that the company sometimes receives payment from GOP-backed clients to conduct what is described as both political research and journalism. The network of sites it supports has grown significantly, at one point expanding from 450 to over 1,200 sites in the lead-up to the 2020 U.S. elections. The company was formerly known as Journatic and Blockshopper and has received investments from firms including Tribune Media and Sun Times Media Group.
Keywords: public records, data journalism, news publishing, content licensing, media services, local news, government data, FOIA services, data aggregation, political research, content automation, community news, hyper-local media, Brian Timpone, Metric Media, data processing, news productization, conservative news, information services, media technology