Over 2 200 people have registered to be 'citizen reporters` for a Web site carrying news written by the public.
Johncom Digital Media launched Reporter.co.za three weeks ago "to empower virtually everyone with the ability to become a reporter and to publish their works for a global audience".
"The concept of grassroots journalism is not new, although a Web site like reporter.co.za is a first for South African media," says Faye-Marie Abdo, digital marketing and promotions manager at Johncom.
"Ever since 9/11 and the Asian tsunami, ordinary members of the public have brought the world great articles and images - simply by being in the right place at the right time. Reporter.co.za is the perfect place to showcase this type of journalism. We even pay our reporters a small fee for their contributions. We did take tips from the incredibly successful South Korean Web site, called Oh My News, which is based on similar principles," she says.
"Reporter.co.za has been received exceptionally well by our readers and registration is free. We don`t have audited stats yet, but on average we receive about 10 000 page impressions per day and about 1 300 unique users per day. We have over 1 800 contributors signed up to our weekly newsletter," says Abdo.
The Web site welcomes a broad range of content including news, reviews, columns, features and community-oriented articles from members of the public in the form of stories, audio, images or video. Breaking news negotiations may be made to publish in Johncom`s Group print publications. "Some of our reporters` work has already been snapped up by other print publications, after it appeared on Reporter.co.za," says Abdo.
"Most of our contributors are amateur writers with a keen interest in the world around them. We are giving our readers the chance to define what news is. This Web site does not have to be about traditional news - it will be about whatever our readers deem interesting. We welcome news reports, community-related articles, entertainment articles, reviews, columnists and even quirky poetry," she says.
"We have already had our first scoop from one of our Cape Town contributors, who filed a breaking news report with images, on the helicopter that crashed off Cape Point," says Abdo. "Reporter.co.za was the first Web site to publish pictures of the crash. We also were able to show video footage of the fire on Table Mountain in Cape Town.
"We have had many intelligent, interesting articles about HIV, crime, racism and property. Our Fun Zone is also doing well and we`ve received many DVD, movie and motoring reviews.
"Reporter.co.za is wonderful for people who would like to pursue a career in writing because all our contributors are guided through a mentoring process with experienced journalists. Our virtual newsroom offers story ideas and tips for writers, which makes the writing process much simpler. Reporter.co.za also helps people build up a portfolio of published articles," says Abdo.
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