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Readers get chance to help shape paper's content

Readers of a regional daily will have the chance to help shape its content today as it hosts a live webchat.

The Northampton Chronicle and Echo is using liveblogging tool CoverItLive to showcase the work of its newsroom.

News editor Daniel Owens is leading the webchat, which will see readers given the chance to interact with Chronicle and Echo journalists and air their views on the stories due to appear in tomorrow’s paper.

The paper has already used the CoverItLive platform to cover Northampton Saints rugby union matches and Northampton Town football fixtures.

Editor David Summers said: “Hopefully this will prove to be a way in which we can really engage with our readers and get them involved in their local paper.

“We thought it would be an ideal way of allowing readers to get in touch and find out just what goes on in the Chron newsroom every day – from covering dramatic news stories to endless arguments over whose turn it is to make the tea.

“We will be explaining what stories we are covering, why we are covering them and how we are writing them. But it will also give readers the chance to meet and learn about the characters who write the stories in their favourite local paper.”

To take part in the webchat log on to www.northamptonchron.co.uk and follow the links.

Comments

Sign of the Times (05/02/2010 10:04:57)
I’m curious about this CoverItLive service which I’ve seen mentioned a few times before. What does it actually provide that newspapers aren’t capable of doing on their own websites? Where I work we can use our content management system to update stories during live events in a blogging style and also receive and respond to reader comments. So I don’t understand why newspapers need to go to an outside service, and lose all the web traffic. Like I say, just curious about what’s so good about CoverItLive.