Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "citizen journalism"

A thank you to our talented community contributors

2012-01-01T02:19:45Z

Another year has passed and it’s time for reflection. The Sacramento Press has been lucky to form new relationships with some very talented contributing writers and photographers while strengthening our relationships with contributors who have been with us all along.

Our region had many notable events that will forever ingrain 2011 in Sacramentans’ minds.

When the “99 percent” occupied Cesar Chavez park and when Gus Vina left his post as City Manager, our community contributors were there to report. When the first cars inched their way down K Stree t and when the Sacramento City School Board considered relocating campuses, our community contributors were ready with notepads and cameras.

Our community contributors live and breathe the issues that impact our region and are truly the essence of The Sacramento Press.

This year, we reached a milestone that we are very proud of. In September, the 10,000th article was posted on our site. It would not be possible to reach that accomplishment if it weren’t for our dedicated community contributors.

Earlier in the year, some of our best contributors were recognized in short videos.

As one more small token of appreciation, we have put together digital showcases of articles and photographs posted by our Top Contributors.

Below are the community contributors who have gone above and beyond, working closely with us and submitting high-quality content that we are proud to recognize.

We hope you’ll take a moment to see what they have accomplished throughout the year! Click on the names below to see individual splash pages.

Aaron Davis played a significant role in helping us reach 10,000 articles this year. Aaron briefly worked in the Community Outreach department, supporting our contributors while continuing to contribute himself. He is a man of many talents, writing about everything from Osama Bin Laden’s death and the infamous Kings relocation debacle (yes, in the same article) to playing April Fool’s jokes on our readers. We can’t wait to see what he will write about next.

Alejandra Gonzalez is a woman about town who has embraced the essence of Sacramento. This
year she captured everything from wine-swirling at Grape Escape to tutu-twirling of the Sacramento Ballet. Whether it’s tea parties, fundraisers or concerts, Alejandra is our go-to gal for all things culture.

Amabelle Ocampo delves deep into important issues affecting our region, such as the Occupy movement. She isn’t afraid to explore delicate subjects like foster care or cancer and manages to write about them eloquently.
She balanced the seriousness by perfectly capturing the playful spirit of events like Wanderlust and Fashion’s Night Out.

Barry Wisdom has an eye for theater photography, which is almost guaranteed to come with a list of shooting restrictions. However, given a few minutes or only a dress rehearsal to work with, Barry always manages to capture the heart and emotion of every performances, putting the viewer right in the moment. His photo essays tell stories better than any article can.

Bill Burgua has truly honed his skills as a theater reviewer this year, and his passion for theater is simply contagious. He has a standing invitation to review performances at the many theaters he frequents, where we are proud to send him on our behalf. His reviews are often
boasted proudly on theaters’ websites.

David Alvarez’ talents run the gamut. Whether it’s a somber parade honoring our soldiers, a lively cultural festival or sporting event, David knows how to capture the perfect shot to convey the energy of the moments he shoots. He often serves as both the writer and photographer at the events he covers, which can be a difficult feat, but he manages to do it well.

Elaine Johnson’s feisty MidLife GridLife article series has given us an exclusive and intimate peek into her personal life. This year her readers have been privy to her first date mishaps, her relationship highs and lows and her thoughts on being called a “cougar.” We never know if we’ll laugh or cry while reading Elaine’s work and are always left wanting more.

It is almost impossible to describe the enthusiasm Kati Garner has for photography with just a couple of sentences. Her passion for the subjects she shoots run deeps and her photos speak to our readers. She kicked off the year with a stunning image of the Wells Fargo Center and ended it by lighting up our site with images of local holiday displays. In between, she treated us to the shots of the zoo and Fairytale Town’s newest critters, moving tributes on 9/11 and frame-worthy images of local scenery. Kati is unstoppable!

Much to our delight, Mary Nares has become our go-to writer if there is a choral performance in town; we know we can count on her. She often teams up with Kati Garner to review choral performances and together they make a dynamic duo. A member of a local choir herself, Mary has been welcomed with open arms to local groups’ performances who enjoy her writing as much as we do.

Mark Needham is an expert on all things black and purple. His devotion to the Kings is infectious, and we know we can always rely on Mark to go where the action is happening. This year, he took that enthusiasm to Raley Field, where we proved to be an equally fantastic River Cats writer. We’re grateful that he has chosen The Sacramento Press to express his enthusiasm for local sports.

If you’ve ever driven by the scene of a crime or an accident and wondered what’s happening, it’s almost guaranteed that the Maverick Photography team, made up of Ed Fogle and his team of photographers can tell you. The talented team live and breathe breaking news and are always at the forefront of the action. The Maverick team has filled an important gap on our site.

Patricia Willers’ passion for two topics became apparent this year: She loves beer and music. She reviewed notable concerts like Cake and American Idol Live! and sipped brews at Oktoberfest and the California Brewers Festival. This year, we were lucky enough to have Patricia become a copy editor for our community contributors. Her talents have helped developed the skills of our contributors’ and we’re happy to have her as part of our team.

Randy Miramontez was on fire covering big-name acts this year. While photography is his area of expertise, he collaborated with himself (writing and shooting) on close to 20 concerts at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort and a
handful of others at Power Balance Pavilion. Despite his packed concert schedule, Randy somehow finds the time to operate a local blog, Sac and Beyond (http://sacandbeyond.com/). He has grown his impressive portfolio immensely as both a writer and photog since we first met him.

Rik Keller's photos are a treat for the eyes. He has a knack for turning ordinary shots into exquisite pieces of art that make you stop and stare. Whether it’s a mobile food truck festival or a subdued protest rally, Rik has a knack for finding the beauty in every scene. He has given us a whole new appreciation for local surroundings.

Ron Nabity started out the year by impressing us with his drool-worthy shots of Dine Downtown menu items. Ron spent the rest of 2011 exciting us with his action shots of our local sports teams, the Capital Airshow and the Amgen Tour of California. He conveys the exhilaration of the moments he captures through his still shots, putting our readers right at the sidelines with him.

Rorie Oliver built an impressive archive of articles this year, covering everything from the legendary Beach Boys at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort to the community events like Picnic Day and the Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Rorie gives every story, no mater how small or large, the same amount of dedication and enthusiasm.

Sandy Thomas is new to our pool of Top Contributors and we are lucky that she found us. She often collaborates with writer Trina Drotar and the pair have proved to be a very gifted duo. Together they have tackled powerful stories like poetry readings and a holiday blues concert fundraiser benefiting children in need.

To say Steven Chea’s photos are stunning is an understatement and, in fact, it might be impossible to find an adjective that appropriately describes his work. While he produces top-notch photos every time, his concert photos are the true gems in his portfolio. Steven is on his way up to big things in the photography world.

Trina Drotar’s words have helped delivered the impactful messages of the local poets and artists she has covered. While writing is not her full-time job, she gives every story her all as if it were. We are looking forward to seeing what the pair will collaborate on next year.

Last but certainly not least, we can’t forget about our weekly columnists. They have continued to educate us and give us something to look forward to on a weekly basis.

The “Pet of the Week” series, written by the Sacramento SPCA’s Julianne Byer, has helped place the local animals featured in loving homes.

“Real Relationships” is an article series dreamt up by contributor Janna Haynes, has helped solve readers’ relationship dilemmas and has weighed in on important issues many are dealing with but are hesitant to talk about.

The Sacramento Public Law Library’s weekly article series, “Ask the Law Librarian”, has proven to be a valuable resource for readers facing legal dilemmas.

Officer Michelle Lazark has put a friendly and welcoming face to law enforcement, inviting readers to ask her questions in her weekly “Ask Officer Michelle” series.

We would also like to give a shoutout to Ann Freeman Clement. It didn’t make sense to lay out a page with events that already passed, but we want to thank you for never missing a week of posting your thorough local guide to all things music.

Thanks to every single contributor who has posted an article in 2011. You are the very foundation of The Sacramento Press, and we can’t thank you enough for all that you do.

Happy new year to everyone from all of us at The Sacramento Press!

Access Sacramento Celebrates 25 years.

2011-03-13T22:17:09Z

Access Sacramento opened its doors and studios to the public to mark its 25th year of offering community media for Sacramento County.

For 25 years, nonprofit organization Access Sacramento has been “making a difference, one voice at a time,” through its commitment to covering local entertainment, high school sports and cultural events. Saturday’s event will showcase what local media has to offer the community and how attendees can play a major role in community reporting.

I was 'the media covering the media' as I roamed around snapping photos for a couple of hours. Here are some shots:

Many special guests including Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, City Councilman Steve Cohn, Supervisor Phil Serna, and Chris Flores representing Congresswoman Doris Matsui dropped by.

Folks had the chance to meet local media organizations like The Sacramento Bee, KCRA, News 10, FOX 40 and others.

The Media Lab showcased the public launch of the new web site AccessLocal.tv with content from our five "Neighborhood News Bureau" partner organizations.The television studio hosted performing groups to demonstrate studio television productions skills.

Students from Luther Burbank High School in above photo: Vanessa Pagan, Jasmine Owens, Mo Lee and Sebastian Nand promoted March12-18 as a Week of Peace, a collaboration among students from Sacramento area schools, churches, Youth Organizations, After School Programs, City Park and Recreation, and all workplaces.

Access Sacramento is putting together a network of news bureaus in the South Sacramento area. The goal is to get youth to report for their communities, producing news stories about South Sacramento. The effort is based around a website that access Sacramento has set up called accesslocal.tv.

SacPress Photos | Kati Garner

Access Sacramento's 25th Anniversary Celebration March 12

2011-03-10T23:17:04Z

News is no longer designed for idle consumption: It is becoming more and more interactive as bloggers, community journalists, Twitter users and witnesses equipped with smart phones make their mark in distributing news. Access Sacramento will be hosting its 25th anniversary celebration Saturday and invites you to be seen and heard by telling your stories through digital media.

The event also kicks off “Sunshine Week” (March 13 - 19), a national effort promoting the freedom of information and open government. To help celebrate Sunshine Week, Congresswoman Doris Matsui and city, county and state agency representatives will be in attendance.

Access Sacramento is having an open house from noon - 4 p.m., where you’ll have the chance to learn how to make your own TV or radio program, write stories about your neighborhood and meet local media organizations like The Sacramento Bee, KCRA, News 10, The Sacramento Press and others.

Participants can get a taste of streaming radio programs live on the Internet, posing as an anchor in the television studio, recording musical performances and using the new Neighborhood News Bureaus’ website, accesslocal.tv.

Bring your best Ron Burgundy or inner DJ voice while you try out the Access Sacramento equipment and facilities.

Nonprofit organizations are also welcome to attend, as demonstrations will be given on how to create public service announcements using the green studio.

The Sacramento Press will have a booth at the event, encouraging citizen journalism and answering questions about the site and how we operate.

Whether you’re looking to learn more about community journalism, or have been wanting to create your own TV or radio program, or you’d like to meet some of the local news organizations, Access Sacramento is the place to be Saturday, from noon - 4 p.m.

The Coloma Community Center is located at 4623 T St.

For more information, visit www.accesssacramento.org.

Local Journalists Lead "Paying for Content" Panel

2010-06-24T06:36:16Z

The Sacramento Press and The Sacramento Bee co-sponsored a panel discussion titled "Paying for Content" on June 22.

The third floor of The Bee housed 37 people who gathered to listen to panelists discuss paywalls, online revenue and the relationship between consumer and organization.

Independent journalist JT Long moderated.

The panelists were Tim Foster, editor of Midtown Monthly; Michael Sanford, KVIE's vice president for content creation; Geoff Samek, co-founder of The Sacramento Press; Tom Negrete, Bee managing editor for the online edition and production; Ron Trujillo, editor of The Sacramento Business Journal; and Mike O'Brien, co-publisher and owner of Sacramento Magazines Corporation.

The panel started with panelists introductions. Each discussed their website and explained how it makes money.

Foster said Midtown Monthly receives revenue from advertising. Sanford said KVIE relies on membership contributions. The Sacramento Press has four forms of revenue, according to Samek: display advertising, social media consulting, events and sponsorship, and digital advertising website Sacramento Local Online Ad Network (SLOAN). The Bee's website accounts for 15 percent of its revenue, Negrete said, mostly through display advertising.

Trujillo showed where advertising is placed on the Journal's website.

"Where we make our money in the newsroom is exclusive subscriber content," he said.

O'Brien said his magazine has 25,000 monthly subscribers and sells about 7,500 copies at newsstands monthly. The corporation publishes both Sacramento Magazine and Our Wedding Magazine.

"We'll extend our core niche in our print product onto the Web," O'Brien said.

Long asked the panel to attempt to predict how their sources of revenue will change in the future.

"We've gone from analog dollars to digital dimes," O'Brien said. "The big change that we see is the tablets and mobile applications. With the iPhone application, people are paying for content and I know that'll be a key issue for all of us. (Sacramento Magazine) will have our mobile application soon."

Users are in control now and have more choices than ever, Negrete said.

"Also, everybody can be a publisher now," he said. "Our marketing research department is a department with few people, and that should probably grow because that information is going to become crucial."

The topic moved into content when Long asked if the panel used freelance or staff writers, and how subjective the stories are.

"We are almost 100 percent freelanced," Foster said. "And I do worry someone is going to come to me and they're going to want to write about something that is not completely subjective objective. As far as the advertising driving the content, I have to rely on my own ethical rules, and so far I think we've done pretty good about that."

Samek said transparency helps balance bias in articles for his website.

"Citizen journalism is at the core of what we do," Samek said "For us, we see it as a mix of us and the community of Sacramento as the region's storytellers. Now when it comes to objectivity, it's a tricky thing. It's something we can't have in the same way. You'll see transparency as a crucial thing in the future."

KVIE stories and programs are submitted by producers, Sanford said.

"(Our programs) met our editorial standards and were objective," he said.

Audience members then asked questions and offered suggestions.

Questions were directed toward the entire panel and occasionally a specific person.

"How does the legacy of (SacPress) play into how aggressively you go out to new types of revenue?" Cody Kitaura of Sacramento asked. "Are you concerned about SacPress being a consulting business rather than a place they go for news?"

"It comes down to what can we do well, and we try to do that," Samek said. "I don't think that takes away from the SacPress and the branding of it. Why wouldn't we just start a business that's social media consulting? It loops back around to the fact that we became good at consulting because we ran a newsroom."

Sue Wilson of Amador County asked the panelists for their opinions on content sharing.

"I'm wondering what kind of interest there is in terms of someone producing for various local papers and for you guys on multiple platforms," she said. "Is there that interest or do you want that kind of cross pollination among your newsrooms?"

"There's many city magazines in California," O'Brien said. "And all of us, generalizing, have done a story on escaping to Carmel. Why is it that we don't collaborate with others?

“Two answers: one is that we want our own spin. We want to deliver the sensibilities of Sacramento whatever that may be. And second is these publications tend to be entrepreneurial and want to do it their own way."

Trujillo asked how the shared content revenue could be divided.

"I think that cooperation is crucial, and the fact that Sacramento Press is here at The Sacramento Bee — instead this is a step in the right direction," Samek said. "Even if you wanted to compete, local media is facing so much pressure.

“The pie is shrinking. Cooperation is very crucial in this environment. Everybody knows what they do best and overlap isn't that bad."

The discussion ended with discussing whether or not the publications intended on using a paywall.

Trujillo said The Business Journal has a hybrid of a paywall. The Journal's website has free online content, but printed content is viewable only by subscribers. Non-subscribers must wait four weeks to read printed content on the website.

Other panelists said no.

We need the traffic and that just would not work, O'Brien said.

“KVIE is focused on being the premiere storyteller about our region,” Sanford said in an e-mail Wednesday. “It’s important to us that we share this content with as wide an audience as possible – not just on television, but through our websites and social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

“Making our content available to everyone in our community regardless of their ability to pay is central to our mission and we have no plans to charge for online content.”

"I don't think a paywall is the answer for us right now," Negrete said.

The discussion was recorded by Access Sacramento. The air date has yet to be determined.

Photos:

1) The Sacramento Bee hosted the panel on the third floor of its headquarters.

2) Panelists (L to R) Foster, Sanford and Samek.

3) Panelists (L to R) Negrete, Trujillo and O'Brien.

4) Panelists (L to R) Negrete and Trujillo.

Photos by Colleen Belcher.

Agnus-Dei Farrant is an intern for The Sacramento Press.

Online journalism survey by Reynolds Journalism Institute

2010-06-03T01:34:15Z

For our readers and users who have an interest in online news sites and community journalism, we have a survey that we would like you to take.

Reynolds Journalism Institute is doing a research project on local news sites and online community. On their website it states their mission as "reconnecting journalists and citizens around the importance of journalism in a democracy, and using technology to enhance methods that help journalists reach citizens in many ways."

The institute is part of the University of Missouri and the Missouri School of Journalism.

RJI reached out to Sacramento Press to participate in their research and created a survey tailored to our site.

The survey has 36 questions, 22 of which directly deal with Sacramento Press. The remaining questions touch on current events and demographic information.

The survey will ask you about how useful Sacramento Press is, how you benefit from it, how often you visit the site, the quality of coverage, your satisfaction with Sacramento Press, and whether or not it is engaging.

It also seeks to get your opinion about online community, users interacting with journalists and commenting on articles.

It is completely voluntary and confidential. You have the option of leaving questions blank or stopping the survey altogether if you don't feel comfortable with it. You will not be contacted after the survey unless you choose to include your e-mail address.

If you can spare 10 minutes of your time to complete the survey, it will help with the research to improve journalism and technology to better serve you and news consumers.

Click on the link below to access the survey:

http://rjisurvey.sacramentopress2.sgizmo.com/s3/

Citizen journalism at work

2010-03-19T19:52:43Z

The Sacramento Press is a hybrid site of professional and community-contributed journalism. One recent event that we could not cover in-house is a perfect example of how citizen journalism works best:

One of our reporters, Kathleen Haley, was unable to attend a debate scheduled for Thursday night.

Our editorial department e-mailed a resident Haley had met at another event who had shown interest in the debate. This resident suggested that a friend of hers, Chris Shannon, who had already planned to go to the debate, write about it for The Sacramento Press.

We asked our interns to see who was available, but none of them were to attend either.

Chris Shannon e-mailed us and called to confirm that he could cover the District 7 debate.

He took pictures and wrote a great story.

We are very lucky to have community members who are willing to write about events and issues that affect all of us. Our staff is very small and it's impossible to cover everything in our area.

Thank you, Chris Shannon, for the great coverage and we hope this example will encourage more writers to share stories on The Sacramento Press.

CalWatchdog Launch

2010-02-06T03:27:22Z

Navigating a newspaper is tricky. I avoid reading state government news early in the morning so as not to start my day feeling hopeless and impotent. Bring on the funnies.

Who is accountable for state governance?

Thursday night marked a new voice in state news and a new set of eyes narrowed on the Capitol.

About fifty people gathered at Pyramid Ale House to celebrated the launch of CalWatchdog.com, a new journalism venture with a mission of “holding the government accountable for its spending and regulatory programs by exposing government waste, fraud and abuses of power.”

I sat down with Steven Greenhut,, CalWatchdog editor in chief, amid beer, rain and power suits.

Q: What inspired CalWatchdog and what was involved in developing it?

A: We started in the beginning of the session, in early January, and the idea is to provide news coverage, investigative journalism and cover state government. There is a ton that needs to be covered and there is always need for more news coverage in the state.

Q: Do you work with traditional news outlets like print newspapers in Sacramento?

A: Yes, we’re trying to get our stories published in newspapers. I had my columns appearing in The Orange County Register and The North County Times and our cartoonists’ works are in Slate. I’ll be releasing an investigation pretty soon that we’re trying to pitch to different newspapers. We’re hoping to find a new model of nonprofit-funded journalism.

Q: Tell me about the model.

A: We’re trying to be more than a blog. We’re doing fresh stories that haven’t been covered, regional reporting and investigations. There’s always room for that. The more the merrier; it’s a huge state government. I like the new environment but we don’t know how it’s going to shake out yet. Some people have pitched nonprofit journalism as the new model and its probably one new model, but there are all sorts of models out there. What I like is the competition. But we all want the same thing: to see more news stories out there.

Q: What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of working online?

A: I’m new at it as I’ve been in newspapers for a number of years. It’s something different. Journalism is evolving and, while newspapers are still an important source of information, a lot of them have cut back on their state bureaus. But I love newspapers, so I hope to work with more of them. I also like blogs. I think they offer great and important news stories. But we’re focusing more on analysis and fresh stories, not just commenting. We still do some opinion. I’ve been an opinion columnist for so many years that I wanted to continue with that, but it's secondary. News comes first.

Q: Do you have a staff of writers?

A: Anthony Pignataro is our investigative journalist, Katie Grimes is our news reporter and we’re using some freelancers.

Q: Do you incorporate citizen journalism? Public input?

A: The blog that we do is more a developing one based on the work of our staff. But if someone had a good story idea and pitched it to me, we’re certainly open. But, nothing against that, we’re not geared at citizen journalism. I know that’s a good approach and I like it, but it’s not ours. Our approach is to have reporters and more traditional stories.

Q: What made you break out of newspaper and print and come into something like this?

A: I’ve been covering local government in Orange County for a long time. I wanted to come up to Sacramento and focus on state government, which is a mess.

Q: Is this a bipartisan effort?

A: We don’t hide the fact that we’re a project of the Pacific Research Institute, which is a free-market oriented think tank. I’m a libertarian, but my staff doesn’t necessarily share my political views. We’re not trying to do political stories, we’re trying to do serious journalism. I’m not partisan at all. I don’t care for either party! But we’re not going to hide behind a fake objectivity, a “he said, she said.” We’re going to try to analyze stories as fairly as possible, no partisan angle whatsoever, and just get to the bottom of it. We look at fraud, waste, and abuse or misuse of taxpayer dollars. We do fair stories and figure that if you look at those issues, it's certainly going to make my point, which is that government is too big. But we’re not going into this trying to push opinions and try to attempt political slant.

Q: What is involved in your process of uncovering stories?

A: I have my staff always out looking for stories. Katie is up here at the Capitol a lot. Anthony is out looking at public records and I have different freelancers who pitch stories to me. And we’re just getting started. We’ve been up for about a month, so hopefully we’ll be amping up more and more stuff.

The Sacramento Press Journalism Open starts today!

2009-10-01T04:40:22Z

How many times have you read a newspaper article and said, "I could have written that"?

Well, now you can. For nearly a year, you have been able to do that on The Sacramento Press, where everyone can try his or her hand at writing a news story, and be published instantly, on the Web. That will continue to be the case, as the Press grows its audience and a small army of community contributors that now numbers more than 500 people.

But for the month of October, The Sacramento Press is sweetening the pot: Not only can you write stories, have them copy-edited and posted on our site. Now you can win, and win big: The Sacramento Press Journalism Open is offering prizes of as much as $500 for telling the stories that only you can tell.

From midnight Thursday, October 1 to the end of the month, The Sacramento Press Journalism Open welcomes writers, professional and amateur alike, to compete for cash and prizes. No story is too small, no subject too obscure. But more than that, we want you to try your hand at making a mark on your community by telling the stories that you know and no one else does, about events, people, businesses, cultural curios and...well, anything you want!

We want to see Sacramento through your eyes, your words, your pictures. And so do thousands of your fellow Sacramentans, who read the Sacramento Press every day.

There's much more to say about the contest. Please visit the Sacramento Press Journalism Open landing page and find out more about this month-long event and how you can enter. It is as easy as a blog post, as free as the air we share, and as challenging as you want it to be. Tell us about your community and the people in it, and gain an audience of thousands who you never thought you could reach - with your very first post.

We're waiting to read your stories.

Commit your acts of journalism now!

Welcome to The Sacramento Press Journalism Open!

2009-09-16T00:14:43Z

We're so glad you're interested in The Sacramento Press Journalism Open! Not only can you win some great prizes, you can also have an effect on your community and gain some skills in the bargain! Contributing to our site is quick and easy - we can show you everything you need to know to take the act of making journalism into your own hands!

I'm David Watts Barton, the managing editor of The Sacramento Press, our area's top hyper-local, citizen-written news website, where we focus on up-close, in-depth coverage of neighborhoods like yours. We aim to spread the traditional habits of good journalism - accuracy, fairness and a diversity of opinion - across the Web. We do it with a mix of professional and amateur writing from around the community.

We're hosting this contest because we want you to join us! The future of journalism may depend on you: Your ideas, your questions, and the answers you find will increase the amount of good, local information you and your fellow citizens need to make informed decisions, whether it's about city government or where to go for entertainment. And once you've asked the questions you want answered, we want you to write for The Sacramento Press - because citizens like you are The Sacramento Press!

This contest is a pro-am, where writers of all skill levels and points of view are welcome to write about what you know and about what interests you.

We urge you to think small: The blighted vacant lot on your street, the business person you patronize, the leader you admire, the trend you abhor, the community group you support, the artist living above you, the band rehearsing next door. What don't you understand about your neighborhood? What's great about it? What's changing? These questions will lead you to more questions, questions will lead you to people you don't know, and people will lead you to stories that need to be told.

We're here to help: In addition to providing the platform to publish, we also offer copy editing and workshops on various aspects of journalism, from interview techniques to the use of social media. We will do everything we can to help you create the best journalism you can!

And don't forget the prizes! For more on that and on how to enter your work in The Sacramento Press Journalism Open, read on!

Join us in the first Sacramento Press Journalism Open. And remember, we are here to help you commit the best acts of journalism you can! Contact us at The Sacramento Press: To utilize our free copy editing, simply e-mail your story to journalism@sacramentopress.com and we'll send the edited version back to you. Colleen Belcher, journalism support manager, is at colleen@sacramentopress.com. Managing editor David Watts Barton is at david@sacramentopress.com.

Prizes

Journalism as a profession has taken its lumps lately, but there's still money to be made, especially if you win one of the many prizes offered in The Sacramento Press Journalism Open!

Our Grand Prize winner will enjoy a weekend for two at The Village at Squaw Valley and a meal for two at world famous PlumpJack restaurant. We'll even throw in $50 for gas money!

Our contest's first-place winner will get $500 and an original portrait of themselves by Wall Street Journal sketch artist Noli Novak; second place receives $250 and third through fifth places, $100.

All winners, including the 10 additional winners in the more specific categories below, will win a Sacramento Press journalism kit that includes an Olympus digital recorder, a bio-degradable pen, a reporter's notebook and a stylish Sacramento Press T-shirt.

Winners will be announced on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009.

How to Enter

Simply go to the top of this page and click the "Sign Up" button and follow the prompts. You will be asked for information and to sign off on our terms of use agreement. After you are signed up, click the "Write" button at the top of the page and start writing!

We suggest that you write your story in a separate writing application and then, when you've finished and had it copy edited, cut and paste it into our site.

We encourage you to take advantage of our free copy editing before you post your article. To get your story copy edited, e-mail it to journalism@sacramentopress.com.

Important: Every story you enter/post on the site must be tagged "Open2009" in the tag section. Just write those words in the space provided.

Hit "Publish" and you have posted your first story on The Sacramento Press. You've also been entered in The Sacramento Press Journalism Open!

Categories & Criteria for Judging

Entries will be judged by our editorial staff, and that judgment will be subjective. But we will be using criteria for what we think good journalism is. Among those criteria are:

Accuracy: Facts, spelling and quotes should be correct. Double-check everything and use your computer’s spell check.
Writing style: Writing should be clear, concise and enjoyable.
Local focus: Stories should be set in Sacramento, Yolo, Placer or El Dorado counties.
Sourcing: Include a minimum of two living, breathing sources in your story. Aim to include different perspectives. Wikipedia, about.com, press releases and book or newspaper excerpts are not acceptable sources.
Impact: Your story will also be judged on how readers react in the conversation on The Sacramento Press, as well as how it is received in the real world.

Stories can be any length, but they must be original non-fiction about the Sacramento area.

Stories may not be re-posts from blogs or other publications, print or online.

Ten additional prizes will be awarded to stories that succeed in various areas, as judged by our staff of professional journalists:

Best lede (opening paragraph)
Most original story idea
Best-researched article
Best "get" (unusual story or difficult-to-get interview)
Most widely read story
Most community interaction (in conversation section)
Best headline
Best quote
Best use of the Storyline feature
Best accompanying photos

All entries will be eligible for all these categories, as well as the top prizes.

Rules

To be eligible, stories must be posted on the site, by you, between 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 1, 2009 and 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2009. We will help you post from Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009 at 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. until Friday, Oct. 30, 2009; you may come to our office during weekday business hours (M-F, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) to post on our computers. You may enter as many different stories as you like, but please enter/post each story only once! Make sure to tag it "Open2009" in the tag section or it will not be counted as a submission. There is no charge to enter. We will shred and recycle any entries that come in on dead trees - we're an online newspaper! Again, you must post the story yourself.

Entries will be judged by The Sacramento Press' editorial department. Decisions will be final.

We want you to win! We offer copy editing and advice on reporting. There will be a workshop on Oct. 13 to help answer your questions. Be careful that you're happy with what you've written; once it is published on the site, it cannot be modified.

You must live in one of our four home counties, and be at least 18 years of age.

The Sacramento Press welcomes its first staff reporter

2009-04-15T22:11:24Z

The Sacramento Press is, first and foremost, a community-contributor website. Some call it "citizen journalism." Whatever you call us, we are here to give an online voice to members of the community, to cover stories that may be otherwise ignored by the mainstream press, and to provide a forum for discussion of local issues.

We are also working to promote the values of traditional journalism — thorough reporting, balanced perspectives, clear writing — through workshops and internships, while making the new tools of the web available to all. We offer copy-editing available to anyone who wants to post on the site and will continue to find ways to empower ordinary (and not-so-ordinary) citizens to share important information that will ultimately make Sacramento a better place to live.

So, why did we just hire our first professional staff reporter?

I think the answer will become clear as you read the stories being posted by Kathleen Haley, who started work this week as a reporter covering city government and services. Kathleen brings well-honed reporting skills and writing chops that she has worked on for the last decade as a freelance reporter for the Associated Press, Salon.com, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Santa Cruz Sentinel and a staff reporter for the San Luis Obispo Tribune. She has covered all sorts of topics, but her first love is city government.

"My father was on the city council," she told me during her job interview. "I guess it's in my blood."

Not everyone finds the details of city government fascinating, but Kathleen seems to be the exception. She relishes digging through public documents and city council agendas, and she'll get lots of practice in her new job.

We hired Kathleen because part of our function at Sacramento Press is to spread journalistic literacy, so that citizen journalists learn to balance opinion with reporting, in order that all sides on an issue, including those that don't shout as loud as the other side, are heard. She is here to promote journalism's traditional values while at the same time being open to the possibilities of the new media.

Kathleen is fascinated by the notion of citizen journalism, which she will now have the opportunity to help shape in Sacramento.

"I really like how I'm going to be actively engaging the community," she says. "I'm really looking forward to playing a role in making the community aware of the information it needs to function well."

Kathleen gives several advantages to the Sacramento Press. Her stories will make every effort to capture all sides of a story, providing a standard for citizen journalists to aspire to, and she will also make sure that we cover the important stories, regardless of whether anyone in the community gets to writing about them or not.

She also brings with her a belief, she says, "that journalism is a public service. When residents participate in local groups, they can help make decisions that improve their communities. Informed communities are stronger communities; I will work hard to provide news that will help Sacramento residents strengthen their communities."

The bottom line, she says, is that "this publication is different because it talks with the public, not at the public. I’m not going to tell you what to think, but I am going to promote community involvement. Get out there and make your community strong."

Welcome aboard, Kathleen!

How do I become a writer?

2008-10-14T08:52:17Z

Its easier than you think. If you want to be a writer, sign up or log in and click the "write!" button on the top of the page. Now you can sign up to become a Community Contributor.

Our journalism support department offers a manual, seminars, and workshops on becoming a better writer and journalist. The more workshops you attend the better your credibility with us and the more likely our editing staff will place your work on the front page. For more information contact journalism@sacramentopress.com.

Please pay close attention to our ethical code and disclose your biases. Our watchword is transparency because it helps us balance the news we report on the front page.

Start by covering one story. Just think of an itch that you need to scratch on a topic you know really well. A lot of you may know about the music scene, and a lot of you can write great reviews of local restaurants. But if you want to get on our front page, you are better off focusing on a story that really isn't being told elsewhere in the local media. The triumphs of your softball team or that mysterious vacant mansion down the street might be great stories. Write what you know and become an expert on your neighborhood in the process.

Pay attention to the conversations going on in your storyline. Use your audience to guide your next article and ask them questions when you don't know the answer. Trust that they are just like you and want to build a better neighborhood.

Finally, we want to support you in every way possible. We will help set up peer editing groups if you want the perspectives of other Community Contributors before publishing a headline. We have a network of resource providers in city government and private institutions who can help you find the answers to some of your tougher questions. In some cases we can even get you a press pass to an event.

Take the plunge. Click the "write!" button, become a Community Contributor, and cover a story with us.