Examiner hires pro-am’s
Steve Outing covered in Editor & Publisher the Examiner’s local pro-am (professional-amateur) strategy. In this approach, called Citizen Journalism 2.0 by Outing, websites invite amateur writers or bloggers to employ them as specialists on local topics.
The Examiner has free newspapers in only three areas (San Francisco, Washington, Baltimore) but website in 60 cities. In Denver, Seattle and Baltimore the concept is ‘in full swing’.
The Denver the writers, 27 in total, - called Examiners - cover the Denver Broncos, the University of Colorado, Denver politics, beer and the gay scene. In Denver 27 local Examiners are active. They are paid on the basis on pageviews. The bloggers can also submit audio and video to enhance their stories.
Apart from local models, 15 national Examiners write on topics like celebrities, education, and Internet.