Citizen and community news
AUDIO: Community media and the future of news
Reynolds Journalism Institute consultant Bill Densmore moderates a panel at the Alliance for Community Media in Pittsburgh: “Community Media and the Future of News.” As the decline of newspapers is felt throughout the country, could community media & technology centers be the new model for local news? Could Citizen Journalism be an opportunity for community … Continued
Using Media to Create Shade in Miami’s Little Haiti: Part 2
PRI’s morning news show The Takeaway, co-produced with WNYC Radio, has been in Miami this week trying a new approach to serving a community. Instead of covering the Little Haiti neighborhood, journalists are trying to build ties and engage Haitian residents in the newsgathering. This is the second of two posts from PRI’s Michael Skoler … Continued
The Takeaway seeks to engage diverse communities via texting: Part 1
This week, The Takeaway takes to the streets of Miami in the latest of its experiments to partner with communities in gathering news and uncovering stories that deserve attention. The Takeaway is a new morning news show produced by Public Radio International (PRI) and WNYC Radio. Initial audience data shows its conversational format and editorial … Continued
Michele’s list: Promising local news sites
This site list was last updated in June 2010. The list led to the establishment of Block by Block, a network of community news sites. The Michele’s List website is now available here. These are exciting, chaotic times for online news. Many startup news outlets come and go, but others are moving forward, learning and … Continued
From Chicago: A snapshot of online news experiments
I interviewed operators of three Chicago online news sites — Gapers Block, Windy Citizen, and Chicago Talks — recently and found the mix of content and revenue ideas worth following. I’m adding several Chicago sites to my list of promising online news sites. Gapers Block Led by Andrew Huff, this site is aggregates and offers … Continued
My criteria for promising online news sites
As a fellow at the Reynolds Journalism Institute this year, I am working on a list of promising sites. The idea is to identify and work with the best – to learn from them and to figure out ways RJI might help them. Here are my criteria: Content: The site is devoted primarily to original … Continued
Exploring Government 2.0
I’m excited about the potential of Government 2.0, a growing movement to use the Internet to improve government practices and make government more transparent and participatory. Here’s what organizers of last fall’s Gov 2.0 summit say: “Over the past fifteen years, the rise of the World Wide Web has resulted in remarkable new possibilities and … Continued
Michele McLellan: Mid-year report
I’ve learned a lot about online civic engagement in fields other than journalism (social causes, politics, even marketing) through conferences, interviews and looking at Web sites. I’ve also connected with numerous community news startups and learned that many of them put civic engagement and community building at the top of their agenda. I think established … Continued
In new news orgs, a glimpse at journalism founded on value, not mass
A few weeks back, John Thornton invited me to Austin, Tex., to take a look at his news organization in-the-making, a team of powerhouse journalists from all over the state who are assembling the ambitious effort that will be the Texas Tribune. Before coming to RJI, I worked in for-profit newsrooms, where the constant primary … Continued
In his own words: A selection of Matt Thompson’s blog entries Part 2
The W-bomb Sept. 22, 2008 You can’t tell from my blogging, but I’ve gotten rather sensitive about the word “Wikipedia.” Earlier this year, after I’d written my research proposal, I was casting about for a title to communicate the core concept I hoped to pursue. I recalled a whitepaper by Shayne Bowman, Ellen Kampinsky and … Continued