Crowdsourcing journalism
The web has changed journalism dramatically — the way headlines are written, the way in which a publication publicise itself, even style guides are undergoing a radical shift. The content is becoming tighter and less text heavy, flashy pictures are taking up more space and stories in the quick-toread list-format are the ones that receive the most hits. All of this is to say, that how the desire to be shared by more and more users on social media platforms has shifted an editor’s priority from quality to quantity.
However, there are positive sides to this too, one of which is highlighted on the new startup called Contribu- toria — a writing platform for journalists, which enables them to collaborate on all aspects of the writing process including commissioning, editing and publication. Paying members can pick from the story pitches and back selective story proposals. Writers who win will get paid after submitting the story at a rate they set for themselves.
This model of crowdsourcing is favourable to journal- ists who want to report on topical issues but are unable find an audience for the story. Membersip to the website — currently in beta stage — is free and anyone can pitch stories.
The general perception is that there is no demand for qualitative writing, as people just want the information and not many care for any craft in the writing. This does paint a dismal picture, but when seen from the perspective of startups like Contributoria, these claims do not seem as substantiated as BuzzFeed or Upworthy would like you to believe. And the stories backed by paid members are proof of that.
— Atul Dev