OhMyNews Japan plans to recruit 5.000 citizen reporters by the end of the year: 1.000 have already joined the project and produced 20 articles published in the first issue. Well-known Japanese journalist Shuntaro Torigoe was appointed as chief-editor of the new online newspaper, that has at the moment 22 employees.

In the words of Oh Yeon-Ho, the policies of the Korean and Japanese version will be different. OhMyNews Korea aims to “change the distorted environment in the conservative-dominated media" in the country, whereas OhMyNews Japan will pursue “political and ideological neutrality”. In consideration of their different cultural issues and unlike their Korean colleagues, Japanese citizen journalists will be granted the possibility to use pen names.

OhMyNews was founded by magazine journalist Oh on the 22nd February 2000. It is an online newspaper whose content is in majority edited by readers. 25 reporters cover the major subjects of the day, another 10 editors review the pieces submitted by 41.000 “citizen journalists” and single out an average of 200 – paid – articles to be published.

OhMyNews reached profitability last fall thanks to ad revenues, which are expected to grow 50 percent by the end of 2006.

Source: The Japan Times, OhMyNews