There are many qualities that have earned IA its popular reputation – such as its vital role as truth-seeker and investigator, and its non-partisan commentary – but what really sets IA apart for me is its support of "citizen journalism".
It's important to remember that our communities know a whole lot more than we do. Engaging in conversation with them will clearly lead to better journalism. This is the credo to which managing editor Dave Donovan, I and, in fact, the whole IA team subscribe.
Unlike most other news sites, we have come down from our ivory tower, crossed the virtual moat and joined the throng. At IA, we encourage our readers to not only comment on the stories, but also pitch the stories and write them. If you have an important story to tell, see our Submission Guidelines. As trained journalists, Dave and I will help bring your story to a publishable standard because we believe in a diversity of voices across the media landscape.
VIDEO: CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SANDI TALK ABOUT IA AND CITIZEN JOURNALISM
The new media – or "Fifth Estate", as some call it – is no longer a lecture — now, it's a multi-directional conversation. Well-known advocate for digital media and entrepeneurial journalism, Mark Briggs, calls it the "sixth W" of journalism": "who, what, when, why and WE."
Follow DD or me on Twitter and we'll follow you back. Respond to one of our tweets and we'll engage with you — unlike a great many Fourth Estate journos, who have taken to Twitter but don't follow back or engage. Those "gatekeepers" are still lecturing from their ivory tower and missing most of the facts, debate and real news. You might have an important story to tell — but they're unlikely to help you tell it, let alone publish it.
And if you subscribe to IA, apart from receiving the daily or weekly newsletter and gifts, you'll automatically become a member of the IA forum, where you can pitch ideas for stories, engage in discussions, post videos and so on.
We'd love to collaborate with you, so please feel free to come and join the IA family.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SUBSCRIBING TO IA HERE:
Kind regards,
Sandi
Sandra Keane (deputy editor)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
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