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Newsworks opens up shop; we wish it well (and have a few questions)
Newsworks opens up shop; we wish it well (and have a few questions)
This week, WHYY and partners launched a shiny new local journalism project, Newsworks.org. The Clog welcomes its arrival and wishes it well.
We also look forward to seeing how, exactly, it's going to carry out its ambitious mission, described in various locations on its website as the following:
Focused on "regional issues, neighborhoods, health and science, and arts. It's a site powered by your concerns, questions, views, insights and stories."
"[Providing] balanced journalism that is as interested in solutions and heroes as problems and scandals. NewsWorks will be transparent and participatory, continually seeking engagement, feedback and viewpoints from its audience. Every day, it will offer dozens of invitations and opportunities for readers to offer their own viewpoints, tips, photos and videos. And it will seek to be an oasis for civil, informed dialogue.
While not included in the above descriptions, the two phrases we've seen most closely associated with the site are "hyperlocal journalism," and "civic dialogue." (Chris Satullo, who's heading up the project, is officially the "Executive Director of News and Civic Dialogue," and the project has received funding from the Penn Project for Civic Engagement).
Which brings us to the questions.
First, the hyperlocal part: There's no question that local (the hyper-kind, especially) journalism has taken a blow over the last decade or two, and that there is a serious need for it: and I doubt there's a neighborhood in the city that wouldn't want somebody providing it with quality, free, hyperlocal reporting.
The perennial question, of course, is who the hell is going to do, and pay for, the reporting.
NewsWorks is currently rolling out a pilot program focused on northwest Philadelphia — specifically, Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls, Germantown, West Oak Lane, Mount Airy, Chestnut Hill, "and the others," according to its web site.
The NewsWorks web site explains the choice by explaining that "Northwest Philadelphia provides a diverse mix of populous neighborhoods with a rich civic life." And that's true â but we'd be remiss not to note that those neighborhoods, while certainly diverse, are also home to some of Philly's whiter, wealthier and more liberal pockets: the sort of folk WHYY no doubt depends on for much of its funding.
I also raise the ol' eyebrow at the idea that those neighborhoods have "a rich civic life," — as opposed to whom, exactly?
NewsWorks does "hope to expand the NewsWorks community coverage approach into the suburbs and other parts of the city," and plans to partner with existing local news sites.
But it seems to me that the basic problem hasn't been solved yet: reporting requires reporters, and reporters require getting paid to report.Good reporting requires good reporters, and they cost more money. Awesome journalists like WHYY's Dave Davies, Susan Phillips, and Tom MacDonald for example, are not every-day finds, and they already work harder than the average three people.
Philebrity asks whether WHYY just launched the "Philly.com-killer." The answer, unless WHYY can cover cops, crime, courts, casinos, city hall, council, and ... why am I listing only 'c' words? ... is no.
If they can't afford to hire enough reporters to cover the city, how will they justify covering some neighborhoods hyperlocally and not others going forward? If they can â well, somebody must be rolling in moolah.
Then there's the "civic dialogue" part of it.
Presumably, the phrase is intended to contrast itself with the shrill and/or racist baloney that makes up much of Philly.com's user-generated content.
NewsWorks will steer discussion toward its "Sixth Square," described as "a virtual public square that seeks to foster online dialogue that is lively, civil, informed, informative and fun."
More power to them.
But it's not obvious to me that there really is a lack of "civic dialogue," online: take the PhiladelphiaSpeaks.com forum, which, although punctuated occasionally by inflamatory or racist langugage, is for the most part very civic, informed, informative, and fun indeed. The same is true of many blogs around town. I'd argue that civic dialogue is alive and well online.
A radio spot for NewsWorks that aired on my almost-perpetually-tuned-to-WHYY-office radio (how's that for a plug, WHYY? KYW, you're still my quick fix) advertises the site as a place where users can engage âwithout fear of getting shouted down via the Internet.â The site features user-registration, a system of "incentives" for positive contribution, and discussion guidelines ("If You Can't Be PoIite, Don't Say It" is one.)
But how many people â and of what demographics â actually fear being shouted down via the Internet?
I pose the question, but I don't pretend to know the answer. NewsWorks intends to make itself a top-notch online home for news and discussion. This is an experiment, and it's a good one. Good luck NewsWorks! (You aren't the only news outlet I chew the occasional fingernail over).
(I meant Philebrity, of course).
[...] J-lab Philebrity City Paper [...]
Great concept! I'd like to be a source or linked. I produce content as a photo-journalist and blogger on environmental issues. I mostly cover Trenton and NJ statewide environmental policy, but also regularly report on community issues that are not getting media attention they deserve. I am also the Director of the NJ chapter of PEER - Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and a former 13 year NJDEP policy analyst. Here's my bio: http://www.wolfenotes.com/about/ Here's my site: http://www.wolfenotes.com/ Here's PEER: http://www.peer.org/ Here's NJ PEER page: http://www.peer.org/state/state_info_chapters.php?sid=nj Let me know. Wolfe
[...] Newsworks opens up shop; we wish it well (and have a few questions) [Clog: Citypaper] — Long awaited and much trumpeted online news venture from WHYY launches, with plenty of back story. [...]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rod Hughes and christine kissling, Philly News Now. Philly News Now said: Newsworks opens up shop; we wish it well (and have a few questions): This week, WHYY and partners launched a ... http://bit.ly/b9ndPg [...]
[...] UPDATE/REACTIONS: philebrity.com | citypaper.net [...]
[...] The Clog from Philadelphia CityPaper [...]
[...] the interview, I follow up on some quetsions I posed about NewsWorks when it first launched two weeks ago, including how it can fill the hole left in [...]
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