Editorial pages editor David Holwerk, who hopes to have the first videos posted in about a month, says that he and his colleagues are currently working to lay the framework for the video submissions.  The team is trying to establish rules as to video content, length, editing, legal constraints, etc.  In addition, the paper must prepare for submissions from outside the circulation area and decide if there will be a video limit for readers, who currently are restricted to one printed letter per month.

“I think we’ll make a set of rules at the outset and then immediately begin changing them once the thing is off the ground,” predicts Holwerk.

Although the majority of US newspapers are beginning to experiment with video, they feature reporters rather than commentary and opinion by the readers themselves.

These plans are part of many changes at The Bee, including a reduced number of daily editorials, which frees up space for more letters to the editor. Although printing only two daily editorials, Holwerk insists that as long as The Bee continues to express a “strong, independent editorial voice” on local and state issues, the changes should not affect the paper’s quality or readership.

Source: The Sacramento Bee through Poynter