Idea 2: Citizen investigation

Citizens identify the stories they want investigating, vote on a winner, then pursue the story with editorial support from professional journalists and community managers.

Addressing the lack of investigative journalism in mainstream media, as well as issues of public engagement with the news, this project seeks to hand over the editorial agenda to the public, giving them ownership of the story and therefore motivation to pursue .

A website allows users to propose a story/issue they would like investigated, while a community manager seeks out offline or otherwise disengaged members of the community for their stories. Proposals can be made in any form, but video is encouraged, and a facility will exist to upload directly from mobile phone. This will then be seeded on YouTube and other social media.

A regular vote decides which story is pursued, and the project community work together to gather and analyse information through blogs, wikis, databases, and repositories of raw material such as audio, video and documents. Because 'your' story could be next (the leaderboard is public), it is hoped a wider community will contribute. A 'karma' points system will help encourage this behaviour, while alerts help keep contributors in the loop and engaged.

Central to the process is the editorial support provided by professional journalists, who will work with community members to identify sources, filter information, provide journalistic training, address legal issues and assist in structuring resulting stories. This also seeks to provide the 'self-actualisation' that is often identified as a key ingredient of successful citizen operations.

Examples such as the Florida News-Press's investigation of utility rates have already demonstrated how such a crowdsourcing approach can empower and engage an otherwise disinterested community, while the pet food poisoning investigation carried out by blogs this year demonstrates how important stories can be overlooked by mainstream media but taken on by a committed body of people.

Community groups and individuals, while public bodies may also seek to become involved as part of wider 'outreach' initiatives. There is scope for selling content to and/or partnering with news organisations, although the project is envisaged as a non-profit operation.

Why are you the best person or organization to develop this project?  * (2075 characters maximum, approximately 325 words)

Paul Bradshaw has worked in editorial website management and magazine editing, and has lectured in online journalism for the past six years. As leader for the degree in Web and New Media and deputy course director for the Masters in Television and Interactive Content, so is well positioned to explore the possibilities of technology with students and industry.

For the past three years Paul Bradshaw has been running the Online Journalism Blog, researching and analysing developments in new media and journalism. The blog has been described as "one of the UK's most influential journalism blogs" by UK Press Gazette; and as being "similarly insightful" to Jeff Jarvis by the Daily Telegraph, while investigative journalist Cleland Thom said: "you're one of the few people who writes about online stuff in a way that old fogeys like me can understand!" The blog has a global readership, including South America, Europe, the former Soviet Union, South Africa, Australia, and North America. It is planned that lessons learned during the project will be disseminated and discussed via the blog, while blog readers will be invited to help develop the project.

Adrian Goldberg is a former BBC journalist and presenter, who currently edits The Stirrer, a news and campaigns website for Birmingham and the Black Country. He has a range of experience in investigative reporting and a deep understanding of local issues. The site currently features contributions from community figures and it is intended that this project will build on that experience, providing an infrastructure that other community media can benefit from.

Nick Booth is also a former BBC journalist who left to worked in community media. He has a range of contacts in citizens' organisations and is experienced in podcast and citizen media production.

5. What potentially bigger thing might happen if everything went perfectly and the stars all aligned? * (2075 characters maximum, approximately 325 words)

A significant investigation takes place that yields positive results. The processes and systems are rolled out to other areas.  Organisations may shift their attitudes to disclosing information.  They may grow to appreciate that disclosure is preferable to investigation - much like the citizens realtionship to the Inland Revenue!  It also turns the habits of investigative journlaism on it head - up until now investigations have been instinctively helkd in secret - this requires them to be pursued in public allowing many more people to see the jigsaw and help provide the missing pieces.

6. How will you be able to measure whether or not your project has really made a difference? * (2075 characters maximum, approximately 325 words)

The number of comleted investigations.  The number of stories picked up by mainstream media.  Growing use of the service by citizens looking for information and solutions (success breeds success) A review process before, during and after piloting will measure participants' engagement with news issues and feelings of empowerment. 

Investigative journalism struggles for funding in a commercialised industry; crowdsourcing offers one way to support it, but is difficult to make work. This seeks to give users a stake and to show journalists how they can trust the audience on even the most technical apsects of their work.  ON sharing the process of investugation it also harbours the potential to rebuild some public trust in journalism.

Other crowdsourcing projects have relied on the 'build it and they will come' philosophy, or rely on top-down methods to set the editorial agenda. Another weakness is that people need to be online, or have a stake in the issues involved. This seeks to avoid those weaknesses by actively seeking out offline contributors, and using a vote/discussion system to strengthen feelings of 'having a stake'.

The process will be covered on the Online Journalism Blog, which has a global readership across all five continents. I also write for Poynter in the US; Press Gazette and Journalism.co.uk in the UK, and Indian Online Journalism. From those it should be disseminated more widely through other bloggers, academics and journalists. The project should also attract some research coverage.

No. 

Adrian Goldberg (details above) would provide the pilot website for the project. The Stirrer already pursues investigations outside of commercial operation; Adrian would provide experiences and contacts and a guiding hand in pursuing investigations. He would also be involved in producing some of the material to be included.

Nick Booth (details above) would be involved in conceptualising the project and liaising with community organisations. He would also be involved in producing some of the material to be included.

Jeff Howe is doing a lot of work with crowdsourcing; Jay Rosen is attempting journalistic projects using those concepts. This would attempt similar ideas in a UK context, while the bottom-up approach differs from that of Rosen.

A pilot investigation suggested by, voted for, and pursued by members of the public and The Stirrer, with ongoing reports and analysis via the Online Journalism Blog.