A new online community for citizen journalists which advises people on how to write a news story has been launched by a charitable trust.
Newsnet is a lottery funded project that has been created by the Media Trust and is being spearheaded as an ‘online community for local storytellers, citizen journalists and community journalists.’
It is described as an ‘exciting online project’ that gives people the ‘unique opportunity to connect, share and learn to tell their local story’. It also aims to provide the tools, skills and connections for citizen journalists to get more from their local news.
The site includes advice and information on how to shoot videos for the site as well as giving advice on media law.
Gavin Sheppard, marketing director of the Trust, said research had showed that local communities wanted ‘really good quality news.’
Said Gavin: “It has to be hyperlocal: Unless it’s really specific to them and the problems they’re facing – it’s irrelevant.”
He added that the research also showed that citizen journalism could go the same way to providing a solution to the “vacuum of local news” that he claims currently exists.
The site includes a step-by-step guide on how to write a news story and offers advice on what constitutes news, under the headings ‘what is news?’ and ‘what is a story?’.
It also has a section on how to find a news story and encourages members to join the online community in order to share content, network and share tips with other citizen journalists and receive mentoring.
The website, which also aims to attract users already active in the community journalism field, tells users: ‘It’s a great opportunity to bring your story to a wider audience.’
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That’s funny. It took me a string of unpaid work placements, three years at uni, another 18 months as a trainee and several more exams to qualify as a senior to learn how to write news. It cost me a lot of money and time and cost my employer a lot of money and time as well.
If only I’d known I could have learnt it all from a website…
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I have a phrase about citizen journalists
“Seems Help Is There Everyone”
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If someone has to be told ‘what is news?’ and ‘what is a story?’, surely they haven’t got what it takes to be a journalist – citizen or otherwise.
I despair. What next? Citizen pilots, citizen ship captains, citizen teachers? Or even better, citizen CEOs of media companies.
Leave the pub talk to the drinkers, and leave the journalism to those who can spot a story and know how to check it’s true, balanced and interesting.
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My sentiments exactly Observer.
A nose for news is essential. A degree isn’t however.
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