he aims, functions and work practices of hyperlocal start-ups and citizen or community initiated information sharing vary (Konieczna & Robinson, 2014; Ahva, 2017). We know little about how hyperlocal practitioners’ perceptions on their roles are constructed or how they regard being  part of wider media ecosystems and journalism cultures. In this article, we examine how Nordic and Russian hyperlocal practitioners define their roles and goals, focusing on the possibilities, needs and limits given by the different media ecosystems and models (Dobek-Ostrowska, Glowacki, Jakubowicz & Süközd, 2010; Hallin & Mancini, 2004). Of special interest are the notions of authorship, critical (local) information needs (CIN), community engagement and political participation. The different data sets, covering Finland, Sweden and Russia, allows for comparison between media in democratic and non-democratic countries. Thus, this article answers the call for inclusion of non-Western countries in comparative studies on journalism (Hanusch & Vos, 2019). The data gathered includes surveys and in-depth interviews with hyperlocal practitioners. The data is analyzed using statistical and qualitative methods. Global trends seem to affect hyperlocal media in similar ways in all of the countries studied. Most practitioners actively re-envision how and what kind of ‘journalism’ can be locally meaningful. The perceived roles vary and intertwine, including those of (alternative) journalists, hobbyists, community activists, civic leaders and media entrepreneurs. According to our empirical results, differences between the roles and tasks imagined are embedded in an institutional context, including the specificities of country’s media model and media ecosystem.