Blick turns readers into informants
Starting June 1, 2006, the Swiss tabloid published by Ringier has launched a reader platform designed to turn readers into citizen journalists.
From June 1, 2006, the Swiss tabloid newspaper from Ringier will have a reader platform where readers can become informants. Information can be sent to the editorial team by SMS, MMS, e-mail and telephone via a single number. Blick-Online and SonntagsBlick are also connected to the system, according to a press release.
The information received can be accessed by the editorial offices on a centralized portal. The information is then researched and processed by journalists. Information that leads to a publication will be compensated with at least 100 francs. The rights to the image and text then belong to Blick. Is Blick simply giving the old practice of paying 100 francs for readers' reports a new look? The new platform is advertised in a big way in today's issue of Blick - on the front page. A double-page spread (pages 8 and 9) explains exactly how it works in text and pictures and also presents sample stories. Markus Rohr, member of the Blick editorial team, writes in his commentary that Blick is breaking new ground in information procurement, "as always one step ahead". The readers' knowledge should be better utilized. They are not afraid of citizen journalism. In the adjacent article, Blick boasts that it is the first Swiss daily newspaper to have a reader platform. The software for this comes from the Norwegian newspaper "Verdens Gang". Blick also states that this type of citizen journalism has already been imitated in Sweden, Belgium and Germany, although citizen journalism is already a global phenomenon. The best example is "Ohmy-News" in South Korea, which is so successful with reports from citizens that it already has a print edition. Now the traditional media seem to be getting nervous and want to jump on the new bandwagon. The German Netzeitung recently sought 20 million editors for its "Reader's Edition" project (Werbewoche reported). And the International Herald Tribune has also copied "Ohmy" without further ado in order to obtain authentic reports from the street in addition to articles by its journalists.Kathrin Fischer
The information received can be accessed by the editorial offices on a centralized portal. The information is then researched and processed by journalists. Information that leads to a publication will be compensated with at least 100 francs. The rights to the image and text then belong to Blick. Is Blick simply giving the old practice of paying 100 francs for readers' reports a new look? The new platform is advertised in a big way in today's issue of Blick - on the front page. A double-page spread (pages 8 and 9) explains exactly how it works in text and pictures and also presents sample stories. Markus Rohr, member of the Blick editorial team, writes in his commentary that Blick is breaking new ground in information procurement, "as always one step ahead". The readers' knowledge should be better utilized. They are not afraid of citizen journalism. In the adjacent article, Blick boasts that it is the first Swiss daily newspaper to have a reader platform. The software for this comes from the Norwegian newspaper "Verdens Gang". Blick also states that this type of citizen journalism has already been imitated in Sweden, Belgium and Germany, although citizen journalism is already a global phenomenon. The best example is "Ohmy-News" in South Korea, which is so successful with reports from citizens that it already has a print edition. Now the traditional media seem to be getting nervous and want to jump on the new bandwagon. The German Netzeitung recently sought 20 million editors for its "Reader's Edition" project (Werbewoche reported). And the International Herald Tribune has also copied "Ohmy" without further ado in order to obtain authentic reports from the street in addition to articles by its journalists.Kathrin Fischer
