US: Crowdsourcing allows reporters to cover their own layoffs

Posted by Rosemary D'Amour on December 4, 2008 at 9:59 AM

Former Gannett reporter and editor Jim Hopkins and is asking Gannett employees to provide information about the job cuts of hundreds of staff via the Gannett blog, according to Poynter.

Tracking the paper-specific job losses via crowdsourcing is allowing reporters to cover their own layoffs, via comments to his post. Most of the commentators are "supplying commentary, not information," and remaining anonymous to prevent "possible employer reprisals and other career damage."

Hopkins "accounted for 17 papers," via comments to the blog, and layoffs and other job cuts totaled 655 as of yesterday.

Poynter speculates that the anonymity of comments could "undermine" the credibility of the numbers reported, but finds that this outlet provides "a powerful window on a difficult situation."

Hopkins used a similar crowdsourcing approach during Gannett layoffs in August and September.

Source: Poynter