The Massachussetts-based Eagle-Tribune is the second newspaper to partner with Helium, a citizen journalism outlet, to provide hyper-local content and promote civil discourse for its readership. The State Journal-Register, based in Illinois, has been using the site since September and more partners are expected to be announced soon.

Helium hosts a "freelance Marketplace" which allows publishers to commission custom content from freelance writers, or browse and use existing content. The Eagle-Tribune intends to identify a group of community stringers through this, hence giving "a greater voice to the people" that live in the paper's market, according to Eagle-Tribune publisher Al Getler.

The information from stringers is intended complement that from the paper's editorial staff. With so many papers frantically cost-cutting, maybe this sort of model making use of citizen journalism will be more widely adopted, although stringers are likely to lack access to many resources to which journalists have access. Getler claims that The Eagle-Tribune will still be able to maintain its "editorial excellence".

Source: Market Watch