| URL | http://www.digitaljournal.com |
|---|---|
| Commercial? | Yes |
| Type of site | News Citizen Journalism |
| Registration | Optional |
| Owner | Digital Journal, Inc. |
| Created by | Community |
| Launched | 1998 |
| Current status | Active |
DigitalJournal.com is a news network using citizen reporters ("Digital Journalists") who contribute from 140 countries around the world.[1]
Digital Journal started as a technology and gadget magazine in 1998[2] and evolved into a global citizen journalist news hub in 2006.[3] DigitalJournal.com has seen significant growth since 2006 from word-of-mouth.[4]
The site offers a different approach to citizen journalism[5] by being a content producer rather than link site such as Newsvine or Digg. The site is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The site is a full-fledged participatory news site like NowPublic or OhmyNews.
DigitalJournal.com has two distinguishing factors from other citizen journalism initiatives: It shares advertising revenue with all Digital Journalists who report for the site[6] and it has quality-control mechanisms in place to ensure content is accurate and well written, with the goal of creating trust from its readership.[7] To contribute to DigitalJournal.com, citizen journalists must submit a sample of writing and demonstrate expertise to be approved first by Digital Journal's editorial board. The site is run like a newsroom, with an assignment desk where citizen journalists are given tips on news items that need to be covered.[8]
In addition to digital journalists, DigitalJournal.com allows regular citizens to contribute, unpaid, by blogging, uploading images, embedding videos from sites like YouTube, voting on content they deem newsworthy in a similar fashion to Digg and interacting in groups.
The site is updated frequently, with approximately 100 articles per day. All DigitalJournal.com contributors are paid via PayPal at the end of the month based on a combination of how much they contribute, how much traffic their articles receive and how many votes they receive from readers. The site also offers bonus payments for on-the-ground reporting from breaking news events and interviews.
In January 2010, Digital Journal announced the formation of a Board of Advisers.[9] The Board is made up of the following individuals [10]: