jseed  is a project aimed at developing new digital tools for reporting local news. We have a strong focus on the needs of journalists, editors and citizens as the people closest to the process of sourcing original news content.

By considering existing and emerging models of journalism, we hope to build tools that can further enable and energize local news reporting. Currently these models include traditional newspaper print and online outlets, pro/am collaboration, link journalism, community-centric news sites, and loosely coupled groups of individuals seeking to meet or expand news coverage where they live. Enabling journalists and citizens to report and engage freely is the goal, and the web is the two-way medium that might raise that goal to become an intrinsic element of civic life.

Even in the digital age, a coordinated news publishing effort comes down to a set of practices followed by people, generally known as "workflows". In designing new tools, our intent is to support the key news reporting workflows (e.g. content creation, editing, publishing, end user support, etc.) and to leverage and simplify the technical aspects of web technology that can stand as a barrier to entry, but ultimately make digital reporting so potentially powerful (e.g. feeds, blogging platforms, rich media management, social networking, real-time updates, etc.).

We seek insight from a broad range of people in and around local news media - journalists, bloggers, editors, publishers, local governments, chambers of commerce, media organizations and new media thinkers and developers. Please contact us more info about Jseed.

Thank you.