Our very local citizen journalism model, LocalNews Daily is getting closer to our planned launch. The test site is located here for folks who want to help test the site by registering and submitting stories.
We are creating a model here which we plan to make available at no cost to other newsagents (retailers of newspapers and magazines) who want to better connect with their local communities and take a more active role in the news distribution business.
Our plan is for a network of LocalNews Daily editions across the country, loosly linked to create a proactive citizen journalism model. We want to create healthy local news by reducing the supply chain between those reporting local news and those consuming it.
The key is content, worthwhile content. To attract this we are casting a wide net across our target area and inviting submission of news content. We’re also pursuing obvious channels such as universities which offer journalism schools. We’re also making contact with professional journalists in the area who may have left the newsroom for one reason or another.
In our retail business we see between 10,000 and 12,000 customers a week. We’re providing flyers to them as they represent our grass roots readers and contributors.