Filtering as a mode of control

Curious about the procedure for posting comments on stories, I discovered that all that's needed to post is a name and a valid e-mail address. Readers are warned that comments are monitored and will generally be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

Comments are always posted unedited, and with the author's (presumably) real name. I've found that most commenters use first names, initials or an alias.

The lowdown on comments:

Why do you moderate readers' comments?

Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we have created a space where readers can exchange intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers and generally cannot alter a comment once it is posted.

What kind of comments are you looking for?

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments – either by the same reader or different readers.

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence and SHOUTING.

Do you edit comments?

No. Comments are either approved or they're not. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article or in the "Comment of the Moment" blog feature. In those cases, we may fix spelling and punctuation.

When and where will my comment be displayed?

Comments are typically posted faster during business hours. Moderation can be less frequent in the evening and on weekends. All comments are published to a comments page, which is linked to from the main article or blog post. We reserve the right to display comments in a variety of ways, including within the text of articles or in advertisements.

Should I use my real name when making a comment?

Yes, definitely. Please fill in the name field with your real name or initials. We have found that people who use their names carry on more engaging, respectful conversations. However, we recommend against using your full e-mail address on security grounds.

A reminder: Once your comment is published, it can be found in search results on Web sites like Google and Yahoo. A New York Times reporter may occasionally use the e-mail address you have listed in our Member Center for a follow-up interview. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.

What about criticism of The Times?

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies, and we will moderate accordingly.

Should I post new information about a breaking news story? What if I see an error in a blog post or article? What is the best way to suggest a correction?

Increasingly, our readers across the globe contribute valuable information and clarifications as news is breaking. Keep it coming!

We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sent by e-mail. Many of our blogs provide specific e-mail addresses for feedback and corrections. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or at the top of an article, and also can be found on the main Corrections page.

To send a message about news coverage, e-mail nytnews@nytimes.com or call toll-free at 1-888-NYT-NEWS (1-888-698-6397). Comments on editorials may be e-mailed to letters@nytimes.com or faxed to (212) 556-3622. Readers dissatisfied with a response or concerned about the paper's journalistic integrity may reach the public editor at public@nytimes.com or (212) 556-7652.

What I love about The Local

Perhaps the greatest advantage of this site (and similar ones) is that it allows for local coverage of news that would never be picked up by a greater area newspaper. It allows citizens to personalize news coverage. It opens the channels of communication and allows for discourse and interaction. Citizen reporters' lack of reporting expertise may be compensated by their deep knowledge of the community. And most of all, readers know that their reporters actually care deeply about their subject matter. News is personal again.

Research questions

When stumbling upon this site, some very important questions came to mind. A lot of very important questions came to mind. How will the NYT be able to transition from an expensive, NYT reporter-run model to one that is driven fully (or at least mostly) by citizen reporting? What kind of economic model will they end up with? Can they find a profitable model? How will they implement quality control? Surely the New York Times name can't be slapped on any ol' blog. Given that I won't be able to track the long-term development of this blog and probe the minds of top NYT financial analysts, I have narrowed my focus for the purpose of this project to look at modes of control and community interaction.

So how's this going to work?

Straight from the horse's mouth: Andy Newman, NYT's full-time editor and reporter for The Local, describes the "big little experiment" and posts some Q&A about the basics.

"The Local provides news, information, entertainment and informed conversation about the things that matter to you, your neighbors and your family, from bloggers and citizens who live, work and create in your community — as well as journalists from The New York Times."

Why is The New York Times doing this?

There’s a growing consensus in the media world that one way that newspapers can sustain themselves is to foster what is known as participatory journalism or citizen journalism. The Times wants to see if it can find a sustainable way to do this. Your backyard is the petri dish where we will try to grow it.

Visit http://fort-greene.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/hey-kids-lets-put-on-a-blog/ to read more.

The scoop

The preliminary scoop from Jim Schachter, editor for digital initiatives at The New York Times:

"We expect to sell ads to local merchants using our telesales and self-serve ad solution. Our two pilot sites are staffed with full-time NYTimes reporters. That’s not cheap. Obviously, it’s also not a sustainable model. We’re trying to figure out what would be. Can we create a combination of journalism, technology and advertising that people who don’t work for us can adopt? How much or how little oversight by us would be needed to keep the quality high? Would people pay to be associated with us? Would there be enough revenue that some split between us and a non-NYT blogger would work?"

(as posted to techcrunch.com)

Welcome to my project

What do invasive plants, children’s artwork, professional wrestling and the local grocer all have in common? They are all topics of interest in the communities of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, NY. And why does any of this matter? Because these are the types of topics being covered by local citizen reporters on the New York Time’s latest news experiment: a budding community blog. The Local, which was launched by the NYT in March of 2009, offers hyperlocal news coverage of these communities, as well as the communities of Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange.

The interesting part? This community blog incorporates citizen reporting with professional coverage in an attempt to construct a sustainable model of community journalism. But here’s where it gets tricky. According to Jim Schachter, editor for digital initiatives at the NYT, the current model of The Local is anything but sustainable. Currently staffed with full-time reporters, The Local will have to transition to a cheaper model of production in order to stay afloat. But as the site becomes increasingly generated by citizen content, will the The Local be able to maintain the standard of work required to bear the New York Times name? How will its producers attempt such a transition? I will be asking these and other research questions as I follow the development of the blog in its early stages.