Meet your reporter
So back in 1990-something there was a big brouhaha caused by including the reporter’s email addressed in the “tail” of the story:
Buffy Writesalot can be reached at buffyw@thelocaltrusteddaily.com
This was the beginning of the End of Times apparently (well, in a way…). Recently several papers I work for are moving that info up to the byline. They call this progress. I suppose the lack of outcry is progress.
But it’s lame.
What I want to see is a link to a reporter’s “profile” page, in very much the same vein as Facebook profile. Except, unlike Facebook, this profile would be public — the fact that you’re a newspaper reporter makes the whole world your “friend”. Call this “transparency”.
Let the reporters customize these profile pages if they wish — just like Facebook — adding blog postings or photos or video… or whatever. It would be the reporter’s “face” at the paper.
The only things I think I’d require on said page would be a self written “about me” blurb (hello, you are a writer aren’t you?!?) and the inclusion of a “last X stories” widget and a “last X user comments on my stories” widget.
I’m starting to think that what’s needed at newspapers, excuse me, news organizations, is more people. People that you can trust as opposed to a big corporate entity you probably don’t. Staff profile pages with a collection of the reporter’s work and samples of their interactions with people seem to me to be a good way to create this relationship and build that trust.
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