Beat blogging: Join in the journalism
There's an interesting experiment in civic journalism going on right now. It's called beat blogging, and it's an effort by 13 beat reporters nationwide to build social networks into their beat reporting. (The effort has a blog, and JR blogged a little about it here.) I'm not clear on all the details as to exactly how they're going about it, and they're not all going about it in exactly the same way. But as the N&R seeks to expand its community journalism, it seems like a good idea to try.
I think the approach could be particularly valuable for the paper's readers on a beat like this one, where there's a lot of specialized knowledge involved that I don't have. If you're a medical professional and want to take part, please leave a comment or e-mail me.
(To try to facilitate this process, I've started a Twitter feed.)
Comments (7)
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Were this latest exercise in "citizen journalism" (especially as it relates to local healthcare) not so transparently pathetic, it would be funny.
Posted on January 8, 2008 2:07 PM
Yo Lex, did you see the Globe column last month on the acne-dairy connection? It is fascinating, mostly for what it says about the reliability of what passes for medical knowledge.
("SO WHY HAVE DOCTORS been taught for so long that there's no link? The anti-diet hypothesis that Treloar and Danby struggle against arose solely from two studies from the late 1960s and early 1970s. "I got the papers, and I reviewed them," says Treloar, "and they wouldn't be published today. They just don't meet the standards."")
maybe you covered this in the paper, i would not know...
Posted on January 23, 2008 1:36 AM
I have not written about this, Anna, but it sounds worth looking into.
Posted on January 23, 2008 10:22 AM
To the first comment: Why is it "pathetic."
It's not "citizen journalism" -- it's "civic journalism" - there is a BIG difference.
Posted on February 27, 2008 2:53 PM
David, Dr. Johnson has a longstanding grievance against the N&R, about which she has blogged at her own place. Which is not to say my effort is not pathetic -- I don't have much to show so far -- just that there's some related backstory there that might not be obvious to a newcomer.
Posted on February 27, 2008 3:39 PM
There is always a back story - isn't there.
No worries.
Lex - feel free to get in touch with me - would love to know what you are up to now. There is also a beat blogger who is looking into health issues in Colorado. Perhaps I can put the two of you in touch.
best
David
Posted on March 6, 2008 5:06 PM
David, if you would, I'd be delighted. Thanks.
Posted on March 7, 2008 8:32 AM