Bravo to the Oakland Press, which just announced that it is opening a classroom for citizen journalists. Named, with admirable hauteur, The Oakland Press Institute for Citizen Journalism, it is built under the believe that “there are ways for readers to help tell stories better, quicker and more completely.”
That is why we will be offering anyone who is interested — from high school students to retirees — instruction in news writing, videography, basics of reporting for news and sports, and still photography.For those who complete the instruction, we offer the opportunity to get your work published online or in the print edition. This experience would be especially helpful for high school and college students viewing careers in the communications field. In addition, others can work toward becoming members of our freelance stable of journalists.
Beautiful. The best part is that the instruction will be done by members of the paper’s staff. Now I know some bloggers might say, “We don’t need your instruction, press people, you need ours.” And the second half of that is true – everyone in this classroom can learn. But so long as the instruction is offered in the spirit of generosity – “Here’s what we know and how we ply our trade and we will no longer keep it secret as a priesthood but will share it openly” – then everyone wins. The public can learn those tricks of their trade. The journalists build a new relationship of mutual trust with the public. The news organization expands journalism into the community – as the Oakland Press’ announcement eloquenty argues in what amounts to a white paper on the virtues of citizen journalism.
I started arguing for the idea of the newsroom as classroom in 2005 and said this transformation will do more than bring in more news; it will change the very nature of a newspaper:
Once again, Hugh McLeod said it better than I just did: We need to think as “a point on the map where wonderful people cluster together to do wonderful things.” How do we help people gather to share what they know and need to know? How do we turn newspapers into newsplaces?
So the education and the relationship goes well past the classroom, of course. A great editor educates every day. A great reporter learns every day. Educators learn from the students; so journalists will no doubt learn how to shoot better Flip videos or tag Flickr photos from members of the public. And the newsroom necessarily tears down its walls and opens up to the community, becomes part of the community. I mean that figuratively and literally: the newsroom as cafe, the distributed newsroom everywhere in town.
This new relationship, I believe, will be the foundation of a new business model for news. For as the paper can no longer afford the cash and risk to own everything and do everything and is it builds this new relationship of trust with the public, it will have to see the opportunity in helping the public, its partners, build their own value and businesses together. This, I hope, is the first seed of the network.
I also believe that journalism schools must offer to help and must see that they have a role and responsibility to train not just the professionals but anyone. I have been applying for grants to start a program to help newsrooms – closed cultures that they have been – to learn how to teach and to create curricula to help. My argument has been that programs to teach citizens separately don’t scale and don’t reform the relationship between journalists and the public. Among the things that could be taught: your right to access to public documents, meetings, and official information; how to research and verify information; journalistic ethics (a discussion!), corrections (also a discussion!); how to record public meetings as podcasts; how to shoot better photos and video; how to sell ads to support blogs and reporting…. From my grant proposal:
The goal is both to improve the quality of citizen journalism and to establish a new and collaborative relationship of respect between professionals and amateurs, opening up the newsroom and its culture and expanding the reach of journalism in the community. Through this program, these news organizations – and others who will watch their progress – will learn and prove the business case for harnessing citizen effort and knowledge. The project will lead to new work in networked journalism….”
I only wish I could attend the inaugural class of The Oakland Press Institute for Citizen Journalism. (Will you webcast it, teacher?)
[via Jay Rosen]
Interesting stuff, Jeff…and, as you say, as long as it is done in a spirit of generosity, then something good can come of it. Just as long as it doesn’t devolve into a training ground for stringers…
As far as bloggers participating–honestly, there may be some in the community who used to work for the press (lots more of that these days), who won’t need the program, and there will be other bloggers who believe what they do isn’t journalism at all and won’t feel a need to participate either. Blogging–esp. for business-has evolved in its own right, with programs conducted by leaders in the business community on how to use the medium. So, whomever ends up participating in this particular program will be the right people for the program. Best of luck on their success…
[...] * The Newsroom as Classroom Opens (Buzzmachine) [...]
Congratulations Oakland Press. We got a taste of this in Boston, when BostonNOW worked with bloggers.
Which media outlet in Boston will jump on this?
[...] BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » The newsroom as classroom opens The Oakland Press announced it is opening a classroom for citizen journalists. The Oakland Press Institute for Citizen Journalism is “…for readers to help tell stories better, quicker and more completely.” Interesting idea. (tags: msm) [...]
[...] The newsroom as classroom opens [...]
[...] Jeff Jarvis is pleased as punch: “Beautiful. The best part is that the instruction will be done by members of the paper’s staff. Now I know some bloggers might say, ‘We don’t need your instruction, press people, you need ours.’ And the second half of that is true – everyone in this classroom can learn. But so long as the instruction is offered in the spirit of generosity – ‘Here’s what we know and how we ply our trade and we will no longer keep it secret as a priesthood but will share it openly’ – then everyone wins. The public can learn those tricks of their trade. The journalists build a new relationship of mutual trust with the public. The news organization expands journalism into the community – as the Oakland Press’ announcement eloquenty argues in what amounts to a white paper on the virtues of citizen journalism.” [...]
[...] BuzzMachine: “The newsroom as classroom opens” [...]
Like Poynter’s pointers, Oakland’s “Institute” should benefit Pros and “Amateurs” as well as all of us who were formerly the audience.
May this be the start of many more to come -
[...] Jeff Jarvis says, these classes can become important two way learning opportunities where journalists teach [...]
I find it odd that you write that journalists “ply our trade…keep it secret as a priesthood.”
Journalists have no secret about the trade; it’s called COLLEGE educated! I applaud those who want to learn more about reporting, but I find it disturbing that people think journalists have something to hide. Journalists are trained in ethics, objectivity and the style of accuracy. They want to tell the truth.
The newspaper provides public forum, in letters to the editor and online commenting.
Newspapers aren’t starting these initiatives to help people, they are doing so to save money! There is not altruistic goal, it is all about the bottom line.
Perhaps some should be concerned that Citizen Journalists have some ulterior motive about someone or something they do not like within their communities.
[...] un post sul suo blog, BuzzMachine, Jarvis spiega che l’ iniziativa è stata chiamata “The Oakland Press Institute [...]
[...] un post sul suo blog, BuzzMachine, Jarvis spiega che l’ iniziativa è stata chiamata “The Oakland Press Institute [...]
[...] Next step: I hope the newsroom journalists can’t catch themselves from teaching others in the community to expand the network of journalism locally: the newsroom as classroom. [...]