CyberJournalist.net: California paper undertakes ambitious participatory journalism project

CyberJournalist.net: California paper undertakes ambitious participatory journalism project: " The Bakersfield Californian has embarked on one of the most ambitious participatory journalism efforts to date in the United States, launching a community newspaper and Web site in which nearly all the articles and pictures are contributed for free by people in the community.

Since the first print edition of The Northwest Voice was launched May 13, more than 200 individuals have contributed articles, pictures and events, and revenue has grown 33 percent. In all, about 90 percent of the content on the Web site and in the newspaper is contributed by the community.

"In a world in which a growing number of readers are becoming publishers, we ignore this trend at our own peril," says Mary Lou Fulton, the publisher of The Northwest Voice and the New Product Development Manager for The Bakersfield Californian. "The open source model offers us a new way to connect with readers, to better understand their worries and joys, and to enable them to share some of themselves with the world. It gives readers a personal and emotional stake in our products, and I believe that is critical to the future of our industry."


By Jonathan Dube
CyberJournalist.net