National 'Citizen Journalism' Website Launches

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- iTalkNews.com, a website providing a place for everyday citizens to read, write, discuss and publish news stories, is launching on December 13, 2005.

Citizen, or "participatory journalism," is a developing form of web-based content which encourages average people to collect and report news. iTalkNews stands out from other citizen journalism sites because of its focus on national and international stories. iTalkNews' degree of accuracy as well as its wide range of topics also sets it apart from similar sites.

"While blogging has ushered in a new era where everyone can write news, some things that worked in traditional journalism have gotten lost," says Elizabeth Lee, co-founder of the six-month-old web site. Lee has spent the past several months showcasing iTalkNews, which has gained press attention in the United States as well as Europe. According to Lee, "iTalkNews preserves the accountability and factual accuracy present in your grandparents' journalism, and hybridizes it with what blogging offers: letting everyone tell their story."

The site is launching with several new features, previously unavailable in beta mode, including:

-- A new voting system for iTalkers

-- Enhanced iTalker community interaction

-- The ability for iTalkers to edit each others' articles

Whether citizens should be allowed to edit each others articles has been a hotly debated issue. But sites like WikiNews show that it can work. After arming iTalkers with some writing and editing guidelines, iTalk is letting citizen democracy reign, with a few practical safeguards. For instance, articles are "locked" for three hours while a member is editing.

Also, edits must be accepted by the original writer before posting, to prevent any possible abuse of the open system. This makes iTalkNews one of the few citizen journalism sites to give its members this much access -- and responsibility.

iTalkNews has already attracted a variety of members, from people who have previously been involved in traditional journalism, to those who have never before been published. While they all come from diverse backgrounds, together they form the dynamic and interactive iTalker community. As iTalkNews member MJ Call notes, "Where else can a writer get instant feedback from their audience?" SOURCE iTalkNews