One of SA`s largest publishing houses, Johnnic Communications, hopes its new Internet site will help give rise to the 'citizen reporter`, says editor, Juliette Saunders.
The first edition of www.reporter.co.za went live today following a month-long publicity campaign aimed at recruiting ordinary people to write news articles on any topic that catches their eye.
According to Saunders, the news site is modelled similarly to Korean site, www.ohmynews.com.
"We have been really eager to do something innovative in the new media space for some time," Saunders says. "The objective of 'citizen media` is to broaden access to the media for the ordinary person."
While reporter.co.za uses ordinary people instead of trained journalists to report the news, its news room is staffed by professional news people including former Sunday Times managing editor Peter Malherbe and Manu Padayachee, who was previously with M-Net`s Carte Blanche.
"We realise a large part of what we do is mentoring," Saunders says.
The editorial system includes a custom-built Web browser interface that allows for a simple registration and validation process. This is linked with Johnnic`s standard "Good News" editorial system.
Coming later this month is a mobile gateway - allowing users away from a computer to submit news, be it video, sound, pictures or text, as an event happens. A mobile gateway is also planned.
Saunders says the site is not a commercial blog (Web log), but one that emphasises news.
"Even our columns (which are the closest we have to blogs) have to be entertaining, or by experts in their fields."
Those contributing to the site will receive payment of between R20 to R50 per submission.
"This is really hobby money," Saunders says.
Revenue for the site will be generated through advertising, but that is expected to be a slow process.
"Johnnic Communications knows this site will be an investment for a while. Once we start delivering an audience, we are then hoping advertising will start making more use of it," Saunders says.
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