Assignment Zero

Want to be a reporter (or just play one on TV?) Check out Assignment Zero, a collaboration between Wired magazine and New Assignment.net, an journalism site established by Jay Rosen.

In a way, the concept merges wikipedia with journalism (wikijournalism? journalpedia?). Story topics will be selected on an ongoing basis. Interestingly, the current story is "crowdsourcing" -- i.e., the very phenomenon that this site is smack dab in the middle of. For the uninitiated, crowdsourcing is the term some are using to describe using the wisdom and input of a crowd to shed light on a particular topic. So wikipedia is a "crowdsourced" (some might say "angry mob-sourced") product.

At the Assignment Zero site, anyone can set up an account on the site, request an assignment and become a reporter. These citizen journalists will have deadlines, go through the copy editing process and may even see their immortal words posted on the web (or in Wired magazine).

Needless to say, some in the journalism industry are nervous about this approach. They argue that creating good copy is a difficult skill that requires practice and expertise. This "come one come all" approach, to some, represents the downfall of quality reporting as we know it.

But in my opinion, this is just engagism at work, and the cream of these articles will rise to the top. The truly interested, passionate and talented will focus their time and attention on this project. If creating a cogent story truly requires skill and expertise, those who lack the chops, as it were, won't create stories worth of further consideration. And who knows? We just might find the next Woodward and Bernstein in the process.