I've been working on a similar concept called Ripple, and launched 2 days ago. I heard of Plague days after submitting my app to the iOS store, and found it to be a bit different from what I want to focus on.
I do think it's possible to create a community with this type of concept without all the clutter, and have it simultaneously focus on local (city or neighborhood wide) events and news.
Ripple allows users to only submit text-based content for now, and presents all content in table form instead of individual cards. We've found that this combination really focuses the type of content shared as well as allows users to browse content and spread "ripples" they truly find engaging. There is also a bit of a difference with how ripples are spread versus how plague infects people. Ripples are received by users only once.
Though we are at the beginning of our user base building and want many users on Ripple, we are also promoting this in specific cities and communities to have people share local news that matters amongst each other.
Check it out here: http://getkefi.com/ripple I'd love to hear all your feedback and thoughts.