Press critic takes a stab at open source journalism
Press critic Jay Rosen teaches journalism at New York University and writes the PressThink weblog, where he advocates more citizen involvement in journalism. He is also an advisor to the new Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media, which aims to make news coverage smarter and more relevant by tapping the knowledge and insights of the public.
Now, with a small investment by Craig Newmark of the online classified site Craigslist, Rosen has announced plans to start an online investigative journalism venture that will get its story ideas from the public. NewAssignmnet.net will also seek donations to pay professional journalists to write and edit the stories. Rosen says NewAssignment.net will not compete with traditional media, but will seek to do investigative work the mainstream press is ignoring.