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Join us in the new wave of journalism
You have an unprecedented opportunity to Make News! And we're proud to make it happen. How? By helping virtually everyone: - Who sees news to report it;
- Who wishes coverage to make it happen; and
- Who has a suggestion for a better way of doing things to try to convince others.
All you have to do is become a Contributing Reader. We will shortly launch an updated website with the tools and the space to make it possible. Learn more and register at http://blogs.rny.com/cr/.
For more than 150 years the Sentinel has embraced technology to serve this community better. In the 1840's Samuel Morse's telegraphy brought news over the wire. In the 1880's Otto Merganthaler's Linotype made it possible to set type faster by machine. Now, web-based Internet tools will make reporting as easy as clicking your web browser.
This will be liberating both for the newspaper and for the community extending the range and depth of coverage available. Every corner of the county deserves greater coverage and the opportunity to consider different points of view. It will put a greater responsibility for judgment on behalf of readers, but they are either up to it, or will soon learn.
The more things change. . .
Online, there's plenty of room for news, which can come from anywhere and from anyone. Then, to fact-check it, with the right tools, feedback becomes easier and more valuable because it is more immediate.
Together, we know more than we know individually. Furthermore, together we form a new school of continuing education where skills of interaction improve.
The printed newspaper will remain an important part of this community for a long time. Coupled with online, both will become better. The printed edition will point to extra content online, and the online version will refer to, or sometimes spur, printed content. The expense of newsprint limits both the amount and breadth of content. Good articles sometimes have to be omitted because of competition with other articles for the limited space. Print space was so limited, reporters prepared most reports and editors selected the mix. However, now that you can contribute, the breadth of what can be available to the community is remarkable.
. . . the more they remain the same
Good newspapers will never go out of style. They: - Entertain, educate and inform.
- Extend your senses and intellect.
- Distill the torrent of information with organization and summary, allowing readers to drill down to detail.
- Serve as your surrogate at events you can't attend.
- Recall the relevant past.
- Research issues to clarify and illuminate.
- Fact-check, and then fact-check the fact-checkers.
- Cover what you want you want to know as well as what editors and others believe you need to know.
- Direct you to products and services.
Newspapers will continue to serve the same purpose, but you get to make them deeper, broader, more thorough and better.
Making community happen
Groups become communities only when they communicate. That's an important service of newspapers. They mirror community to its members and grow community by showing what is available to others.
Who makes it happen? You do. We do. But it puts great responsibility on our shoulders, because the only thing we have to offer readers is trust. This is a question of ethics. Fair representations are crucial. Contributing readers, who will be named, will earn their credentials afresh with each new story.
We have our own ideas for the initial areas of interest. We have our own ideas for new kinds of content. But we're going to open our Contributing Reader blog to you for your suggestions for a while before setting everything in stone.
So, using your web browser, visit http://blogs.rny.com/cr/. Read the agreement and register. Join in the discussions. Help us get started and find our way. And before you know it, our updated website will be here.
This challenge is fun. If writing from Oneida County's 100,000 households blossoms, our participation will lift this area. That's what local newspapers like ours are for.
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