I, Reporter

Post-NYPA Thoughts

As Amy and I are fond of telling folks who are contemplating jumping into citizen journalism -- expect surprises! And that's about what we got in our address to a couple of dozen owner/publishers of small weekly community newspapers at the NY Press Association meeting we attended at Lake Placid.

About 10 minutes in we tossed our script and spent most of the rest of the 90-minute presentation talking about two things that the audience was keenly interested in ...

Westport Now: Citizen Correspondent

I'm still on the east coast. Right now, Adam and I are preparing for a meeting with Gordon Joseloff, editor of Westport Now -- an intriguing citizen journalism venture featuring news by and about the people of Westport, CT. We're both looking forward to it.

Since I had a couple of minutes before we head out, I stopped by the Westport Now site to see what they have up there today. Actually, the site's lead story at the moment is a good example something I've been wanting to discuss here: the citizen correspondent story...

What We're Going to tell Newspapers about CitJ Tomorrow

Right now, Adam and I are getting ready to drive up to Lake Placid, NY -- where tomorrow we'll deliver a talk to the annual conference of the NY Press Association (an organization of the major newspapers in the NY metro area. Our topic: "What is citizen journalism, and why should news organizations care?"

I've put together a handout for this event which covers our main points...

Rathergate Anniversary

It was a year ago yesterday that one of the groundbreaking events of citizen journalism, the "Rathergate" affair, began. It all started with some postings that Harry MacDougald, a Republican lawyer in Atlanta, made to a conservative web-based discussion forum called Free Republic...

Can Analysis be Citizen Journalism, too?

The practice of "citizen journalism" can, and should, encompass more than simple news reporting and first-hand accounts. It seems to me that people who self-publish analysis of current events, and who strive for objectivity and transparency in that effort (rather than agenda-pushing), are providing a journalistic service.

Of course, such analysts might not describe themselves as "citizen journalists." Case in point: Lately I've been reading an excellent weblog, "Econbrowser," by James D. Hamilton, professor of economics at UC San Diego. Hamilton is a talented writer, mainly because he appears to be a clear thinker -- that is, he has a gift for getting right to the point, in plain language. (At least in this blog; I haven't read his academic work.)

Check out this analysis of the economic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina which he published yesterday: "The calm after the storm."

Here's why I think this piece could be considered an exemplary work of citizen journalism...

Katrina Reveals Symbiosis of Journalism-Citizen Journalism

I, like many, are in disbelief over the way Katrina's aftermath has ravaged New Orleans and ripped one of America's great cities from its moorings. But I do take courage in how many of my fellow journalists have kept to their task, and instead of just packing it in are using all their energies and every means possible (especially the web and reports of citizen journalists) to get out the word on what's happening. For me, Katrina is good evidence of the symbiosis between the struggling corps of traditional journalists and the growing cadre of new citizen journalists. Here's what I mean:

Chastened and Proud in the Wake of Devastation

(NOTE: I've cross-posted this article from my other weblog, Contentious.)

Like just about everyone else who has access to TV and the internet, I am stunned by the news coming out of the Gulf Coast regions smashed by Hurricane Katrina earlier this week.

I try, in my own small way, to imagine what it must be like to be in that situation. And I realize that, with all or most communication systems still down, that lack of information might be one of the most frustrating and frightening aspects of surviving in the aftermath. No phones. No power, so no radio or TV for the most part. No newspapers. And don't even think about the internet.

For many Southerners in the wake of Katrina, word of mouth has become the new  21st-century medium. That must be a rude awakening...