Interesting tidbit over at Romenesko today... An experiment in genuinely community based journalism:
FREEHOLD, NJ -- Freehold InJersey, a community news blog run by the Asbury Park Press and Gannett, has launched a coffeeshop newsroom in conjunction with Zebu Forno Cafe in Freehold, New Jersey. The newsroom will serve as a place where journalists and the public can meet to talk about the latest news, story ideas, and important topics in the community.
At a computer workstation surrounded by diners and patrons, the staff of Freehold InJersey will conduct interviews, work on stories, and produce multimedia content for this groundbreaking website. Passers-by can stop to ask the latest news, share a tip, or learn how to post their own stories to the open-source news site. Patrons can step into the newsroom and become reporters of their own community, using the provided desktop computer to post their own scoops. Users can check their emails, surf the web, and share news stories and photos to Freehold InJersey.
"We hope that having a 'newsroom' in the center of town will encourage folks to drop by, talk to me and the other writers, and participate in a community conversation," said Colleen Curry, the editor of the website and creator of the partnership. "It will allow Freehold to get to know us, and help us get to know the people we're serving."
This seems like one of those things that sounded better on paper than it will be in actual practice... It could be really cool, or it could be a horrific train wreck.
I like the idea of journalists interacting with the community. But given the amount of pure data ore we have to mine to distill those pure nuggets of news, I am wondering if adding a layer of life in a fish bowl will help.
Is this like a news reporter petting zoo? Will they have little kiosks where you can buy a small bag of journo-kibble to feed the print slugs?
My main question is this: will life in Journalism Country Safari prove more of a distraction to reporters than a benefit?
My other concern: I can also see this becoming a place where reflexively anti-journalist types can congregate for public castigation of the news media with conveniently placed targets. Frankly, I don't want sources and subjects looking over my shoulder trying to "work the ref" when I'm writing.
I hope this doesn't sound like I have contempt for readers, sources or subjects, but reporters need a certain amount of autonomy and distance from these to be able to fairly and completely be able to examine an issue and write without undue influence.
mojo sends
