HuffingtonPost.com, the world's largest political/cultural blog is reaching down to the grassroots level to cover the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Off-the-Bus has asked for citizen journalists to sign up and contribute to the blog.
The first assignment is to cover Senator Obama's "Listening to America" series of meetings. Each volunteer journalist is given specific instructions on how to proceed, what to ask and how to conduct themselves as citizen journalists. A document is to be downloaded and completed and used as the basis for the coverage.
Grassroots Election Coverage
Huffington Post Asks Citizens Journalists to Report
Trend Themes
1. Citizen Journalism - Opportunities for news organizations to tap into citizen journalists for grassroots and diverse election coverage.
2. Crowdsourced Reporting - Crowdsourcing platforms enable news outlets to leverage public contributions for comprehensive election coverage.
3. Participatory Media - Media organizations involving citizens in the reporting process through interactive platforms and assignments.
Industry Implications
1. Media - Disruptive innovation opportunities lie in embracing and integrating citizen journalists into news coverage strategies.
2. Technology - Technological advancements in crowdsourcing platforms and interactive media present opportunities to transform the news industry.
3. Politics - Incorporating citizen journalists can lead to more transparent and inclusive political coverage, fostering greater civic engagement.