Editor and Publisher reported that Craigslist will be introducing a publishing option in the near future for "amateur journalists."
Think the power of the blog meets the power of Craigslist.
The article quoted Craig Newmark, Craigslist’s founder, saying "He believes the reason why newspapers are losing
circulation is that too many traditional journalists are willing to
quote politicians and business executives even if they’re blatantly
lying — merely for the sake of perceived objectivity. He’d prefer an ‘open source’ model of journalism where legions of volunteers act as
writers, assignment editors, and fact checkers to challenge mainstream
journalists.
It certainly is an interesting concept. Many writers must feel restricted by their employers and the inevitable playing of politics that goes on within every paper. Having journalists take their talents over to Craigslist would obviously be an employering hit on the power of print.
However, freedom only goes so far. You can’t save the world if you can’t pay the rent.
To be out-of-this-world successful, Craig will have to figure out a way to generate revenue for writers and credible journalists. Otherwise, Craig’s "open source journalism project" will most likely wind up being a playground for spammers, misinformants and trouble-makers.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Leave a Reply