Participatory Journalism - an Italian perspective

This post is without doubt worth a proper read.

Participatory Journalism - From Reporting To Dialogue: An Italian Viewpoint

It covers all the major issues facing the creation, delivery and distribution of news and content in a superdistributed world.

Highlights for me

In our case, new technologies have played a very important role.
After each issue of “Profondo Italia”, the Corriere della Sera online site has received many contributions from readers, who not only were expressing their views on the newspaper treatment of the subject, but who, and here is the real news - were contributing themselves facts and information, which in turn significantly extended and enriched the panorama painted by the report while providing new points requiring further investigation and research: a contribution to which newspapers will not be able to do without.”

The courageous experiment conducted by the Corriere della Sera best demonstrates the possible benefits that audience involvement can bring to today’s journalism. To continue in this direction is the message arriving from a Universe in constant evolution in information on new media.

And

The most successful experiment among Italian participatory journalism is surely Il Barbiere della Sera.

Born on the total voluntary idea of a small group of young journalists, the Barbiere has rapidly become a reference point for uncensored information on the world of journalism and communication in Italy.

Apart from the tight knit newsroom composed by volunteers, the BDS (as it’s known in it’s circle of readers) is packaged in large measure thanks to news sent in by registered users.

There are almost 5,000 of them, many of them who work in the world of information and communication and tell of its facts, gossip and secrets.

“Every day”, writes the Barbiere Della Sera, “in our work we see the actual daily life of a newsroom, the relationships with the directors and managers of the companies that we work for, and we automatically capture in our memories small episodes, comments, ideas and tips of our many colleagues, all news which often remain unused in the drawer because they are not “in line” with the rest or because the chief editor has decided not to use them.

At the Barbiere Della Sera, if a news story is true and verified, it is always good to publish it.”

originally written in Italian by Diego Galli
as “Che cos’? il giornalismo partecipativo?
Dal giornalismo come lezione, al giornalismo come conversazione”
on Problemi dell’Informazione (il Mulino)
September 3rd 2005

via Robin Good