Comments on: Disaster reporting: What if we offered assistance instead of asked for material?

By: Joy Mayer

Joy Mayer — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:46:41 +0000

I love this example of attempting real engagement with users/readers, rather than assuming that the honor of seeing their content published is the extent of what they need/want! Thanks for sharing it.

By: paulbalcerak

paulbalcerak — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:31:47 +0000

@Neil – You got a link to that live blog? I’d love to take a look at it.

I think what you’re describing is the ideal situation—where questions and answers are bouncing back-and-forth repeatedly between reporters, Web users and citizen journalists. I think that’s what newsbrands long for (or at least they should) and I think maybe just asking an open question like “what do you need?” could be a way to get that started in some cases.

By: Paul Balcerak: Don’t just ask for news material via social media – offer help | Journalism.co.uk Editors' Blog

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:23:03 +0000

[...] Full post at this link… [...]

By: Neil Macdonald

Neil Macdonald — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:55:21 +0000

We had 4-5 days of really bad weather earlier this year in Liverpool and ran a live blog over several days on the Liverpool Echo website which,natch, asked for photos but also provided regular updates on school closures, traffic, gritting, public transport etc

One feature of that which I really liked was people would ask questions on the blog (is a school closed, are buses running to A and B etc) and in a lot of cases, other readers would answer them, in some cases almost immediately.

That interaction was great to see and is another side of the being helpful coin I guess. Nice blog post Paul.

By: paulbalcerak

paulbalcerak — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:45:28 +0000

@Sona – Oh, I totally agree—news orgs are lucky to have one photographer these days, so if they can get good shots from the public, it makes sense to do so. I just think giving some form of personalized help might be a more attractive trade-off than the allure of seeing one’s photos end up on a news org’s Web site (or whatever the allure is).

I agree with you on the buzzwords/phrases, too. The whole idea of crowdsourcing and social media is to make the audience a contributing part of the story and once jargon-y phrases are tacked on to the message, it just comes across like an insincere sell.

By: Sona

Sona — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:29:53 +0000

My first reaction in a breaking news situation such as the one you’ve pointed out is to ask our Twitter followers and Facebook friends for pictures or information about a breaking news item, mainly because they’re there and we’re not. However, you make a good point. I’d also add that news outlets should stop using the phrase “We want to know …” in calls for submissions (on any topic, really).

Thanks for the insight, Paul!

By: paulbalcerak

paulbalcerak — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:50:16 +0000

@Bridget – That was my thought, too. Worst case scenario, someone(s) saw that and will maybe think of us next time they go out looking for information.

By: Bridget Willard

Bridget Willard — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:43:48 +0000

I think it was a great gesture (at worst) and a wonderful service. Relationships are built over time. People will always remember the good deed.