When wildfires broke out in California this fall, the website Examiner.com mobilized its local contributors to gather and share information. The result was timely, up-to-date news for readers - but please don't call it journalism.
"We have quite a few journalists working for us," says Rick Blair, Examiner's chief executive. "But it's not journalism - we're not trying to do the 'watchdog' [function]." Their goals are not to break stories or cover city hall. "We're trying to get facts out about the community."
It began in the U.S. in April of last year and last week launched a Canadian edition to cover Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. (They also offer a national edition, and plan to add more Canadian cities.)
It's the most up-close, well-funded look Canadians have had yet at one form of the "citizen journalism" that media experts view as a core component of the future of news.
Sometimes that means bearing witness with a video or cellphone camera, as 25-year-old Paul Pritchard did when he filmed the RCMP confrontation that ended in the death of Robert Dziekanski two years ago. But Examiner has a less investigative, more entrepreneurial model in mind.
The majority of its content is created by local, part-time "Examiners" who write short articles on anything from music to politics, food safety or parenting. Some have experience, but the key is to be "credible, passionate and knowledgeable local influencers."
They are asked to submit writing samples, and successful applicants contribute three or four articles per week. They are paid on an undisclosed formula based on viewership, according to a spokesperson.
"We tell them, 'Don't quit your day job,' " Mr. Blair said. (No kidding: Writer's Digest recently reported that a Chicago contributor specializing in local "road trips" earns "somewhere north of $50 a month.") "But when folks have passion or enthusiasm for a certain subject, they want to publish and be recognized."
Leonard Brody, the Canadian president of Clarity Digital Group, Examiner's parent company, describes the site's model as "pro-am," meaning a mix of professional and amateur. "We're doing this because we want local people talking to local people about things that they care about."
Yet the site also sets itself apart from many citizen-journalism projects by compensating its contributors, giving them specific beats and providing them with ongoing training. Its "Examiner University" helps improve writing, teaches the intricacies of search-engine-friendly headlines and instructs Examiners how to build their reputations and page views.
To pay or not to pay
That's in contrast to the model employed by established media such as CBC and CTV, whose news operations have announced citizen-journalism initiatives (at CTV, mynews.ctv.ca) that invite Canadians to submit photos and videos of breaking news, but without compensation or even guarantees of credit by name.
Tim Currie, an assistant professor of journalism at King's College in Halifax, says people need to be offered something in return for their contributions, especially if they're expected to create original work on a consistent basis.
Most citizen-media contributors say they are less interested in money than "in fame or in the value of being heard," he says. "But in order to create original content, you need more than a pat on the back - and money in your pocket seems like a good incentive."
Liliana Tommasini, 54, started two weeks ago as the "Montreal Food Examiner." She also writes a blog, My Cookbook Addiction, and contributes articles to Suite101.com, a Vancouver-based site that pays writers a commission based on ad revenue generated from their articles.
Ms. Tommasini left a career in computer programming to raise her children and has a passion for food and cooking. She sees Examiner as a way to establish herself and her writing. "Of course, when you write, you want to make money too," she says. "But I know I'm just getting started, and you have to build a base."
