New London freesheet composed of blog-only content

Posted by Betsey Reinsborough on November 23, 2009 at 2:30 PM

Following the recent closures of MediaWeek and London Lite, a new paper is launching in London- though this one has a twist- it's composed entirely of content from blogs. The first of its kind, The Blogpaper is composed solely of content submitted by bloggers.

The Blogpaper also has no editor; instead, the bloggers decide what should be published in the paper edition. Bloggers submit stories and photos to the paper's site and then vote on each other's work. They are responsible for vetting the content and deciding what is high enough quality to deserve publishing. According to co-founder Karl Jo Seilern, this is how the paper plans to continue without an editor. The idea allows for the readers to determine what they would most like to read and for them to monitor the quality of the articles. If the articles are not up to par, they are not voted for by the masses; it's that simple.

The paper is currently published monthly. Its inaugural issue appeared in four Tube stations on 20 November and the next issue is scheduled to be published on 18 December. The current edition is free and does not contain advertisements, though there is discussion to include them in the future to earn revenue. The bloggers are not presently paid for their submissions, though it is unclear if the bloggers will be paid in the future if the paper begins earning money.

This paper signals a strong shift in the world of newspaper printing. Many papers are changing from paper to digital- some in full, some in focus- but this signals the first paper produced on this level of circulation to go from digital publishing to paper. Is this good for the future of print? Or does it undermine the standard of journalism that traditional newspapers fight to provide to their readers?

Ironically, the paper is possible mostly due to the recent closure of other freesheets and papers. Because others have closed, many of the presses are empty and the prices for publishing have gone down, therefore making it possible for The Blogpaper to begin printing.

Following initial test runs with a circulation of 8 000 - 10 000 copies, The Blogpaper hopes to reach upwards of 50 000 a month by January. With a current network of 300 000 bloggers, those should be doable numbers.

The complete first issue of The Blogpaper is available here.

Sources: Guardian, Channel 4, journalism.co.uk