New York - After closing its 13 "hyperlocal" citizen journalism news sites in D.C., Chicago and the Bay Area late last month, Backfence has announced that it will shut down, citing "business issues," the Associated Press reported.

The company had recently been seeking strategic partners, but was unable to find a means to continue operations. 

"We hope we have provided you with a valuable local forum," read a note on Backfence.com. "Unfortunately, business issues are forcing us to close our doors and shut down the site."

Virginia-based Backfence raised $3 million in October 2005, for its venture that allowed citizens to post and edit their own stories about their neighborhoods and towns.

"Along with our investors, we remain very enthusiastic about the potential for user-generated hyperlocal information and citizen journalism," Backfence co-founder Mark Potts told AP.

Related Links:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070712/ap_on_hi_te/news_site_closes_4 (AP)

http://www.backfence.com