It’s time for some radical thinking about your local newspaper.
Here’s the problem: my local paper is covering things that aren’t that relevant to me—and when it is relevant, it’s not covered exactly the way I want it covered.
What if we flipped the editorial function on its head? What if we employed the Groupon model or crowdsourcing intent from a community?
Specifically, I think it could work like this:
- Allow readers to post story ideas
- Readers could then vote on their favoriate ones.
- Once a critical mass was achieved, the story would be assigned to a reporter.
Of course, the initial posting of the idea could include detail to provide a clear idea of what the story should achieve.
Isn’t this a way for a paper to always remain relevant to its readership? More importantly, isn’t this a way for a community to get what it wants?
I think it’s worth at least a pilot.
When I worked at a local newspaper, I served on the community relations board. It was a way for us to ensure we were serving the community better. This idea is soooo much better. It’s real-time, it’s democratic, and it’s transparent.
So, DailyLocal.com, what do you think?
