Journalism foundation reveals first projects
The Foundation for Public Interest Journalism has revealed its first three projects.
The organisation, chaired by journalist, author and blogger Margaret Simons, was created earlier this year under the auspices of Melbourne’s Swinburne University.
The first three initiatives will be:
- The Public Interest Journalism Resource Centre. Created with the assistance of board member Chris Masters, it will bring together a range of databases and training opportunities, which will also be made available online.
- A community driven commissioning engine modelled on the US site Spot.us which allows the public to commission – and pay for – the inviestgative stories they want to see published. Story ideas are pitched on the site, and the public pledge funds to support the projects they want.
- A media conference. Talk To Us – New Media, Public Interest and the Lessons So Far will be hosted by the Foundation early next year, with the aim of bringing together new media innovators, established media practitioners, researchers and the public. It will examine emerging models of public interest journalism and include presentations from people who are already doing innovative journalism online.
Simons said: “Journalists need to make sure they don’t become the new stick in the muds, locked on to a way of working that is being overtaken by changing technology and social innovation. Society as a whole – and large sections of the industry – are rapidly moving towards models and methods of interaction with the public in which power is more broadly spread.”
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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fantastic initiative. can’t wait to see how the community-driven commissioning engine goes.
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