Here is a journalist who gets it!

[Kelvin Mace]

Open Source Journalism Comes a Step Closer in Greensboro: A Plan is Shown

http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/

Lex Alexander is a friend of mine and the editor of "Black Box Voting" (despite Bev's claims to the contrary, she did have an editor and he did do a hell of a lot of work).

He is my source for questions about the mysteries of "journalism" and an avid blog reader and blogger.

Highlights of his recommendation to his editor:

* Assign local bloggers to cover in depth things the News & Record does not, like individual high school schools' sports teams.
* Recruit one N & R blogger per neighborhood from that neighborhood.
* Enable comments on all local news content. "Require writers to read them and, where appropriate, respond."
* Re-launch Letters to the Editor as a blog, with each letter having its own permalink and comments.
* Do obituaries as a searchable blog, ordered by page, with comments ("guest book") capability for each.
* Digitize archives and make them available online, free.
* Link to everyone-- other local blog aggregators, other local media, even competitors.
* In news content, reverse policy from "don't link out" to "must link out" to resources anywhere on the Web that help users or make sense.
* Post a permanent bio page for each full-time reporter and editor, with photo, contact info, background, political & religious affiliation.
* Open up plannng and editorial meetings to local bloggers who may blog about them.
* Post, and invite comment upon, the News & Record mission, vision and coverage priorities for the year. Seek advance input into coming year's newsroom goals.
* Start "moblogs"-- weblogs to which people can submit text and/or images via e-mail or wireless ("mobile") phone. (Like so.)
* Alexander: "To the extent that a blogger/reader knows more about a subject than a reporter does, make the relationship more of a partnership and find a way to represent that partnership visually."
* Create a "long tail" ad network to begin compensating bloggers at the far end of the tail who participate with the News and Record online.


David Allen
www.thoughtcrimes.org

[villager]

1. nice piece, thanks

just forwarded it to two different newspaper publishers I write for...

[Demit]

2. Eww. Don't like that "political & religious affiliation" bit. But in the

main, those are wonderful suggestions for a melding of journalist/blogger capabilities. A pooling of resources that could benefit everybody.

[Kelvin Mace]

4. Yeah, can't say I agree with that one

but the rest is very innovative, drawing the MSM to us and becoming part of the process. I will be very interested to see how management reacts to the suggestions.

David Allen
www.thoughtcrimes.org

[blm]

7. So will I. I'd like to see this adopted all over the country.

.

[jswordy]

3. MAN, I THOUGHT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT....

LOU DOBBS!

He gets it.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. Another thought that occurs to me...

This type of community journalism starts training the next generation of reporters. I think it bodes well for us if this model is adopted.

David Allen
www.thoughtcrimes.org

[Eloriel]

6. Is there a chance it would be adopted?

These are absolutely dynamite suggestions -- mindblowingly exhilerating to even think about. Thanks for sharing this list and good on Lex!!

Edited to add: I'd call this revolutionary, 21st Century journalism, and REAL democracy to boot.

[Kelvin Mace]

8. They are all being considered

so it is possible.

David Allen
www.thoughtcrimes.org

[hunter]

9. Interesting...

The "dead tree" version of the newspaper delivered each morning to my doorstep becomes in effect a condensed version of the website.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

10. Thank you very much!

This has a lot of really interesting suggestions! I love the idea of super-local blogging, and connecting that to "traditional" local media in useful ways. I think I find it especially fascinating because I grew up in an area where the selections for local journalism were few and far between, and something like this would have been appreciated by a LOT of people.

First thread I've ever nominated for the home page.

Again, thanks.