Investigative reporting... now at a cafe near you

In part, it's motivated by desire for a more open discussion with the public, who are welcome to drop in and chat to reporters, even offering article suggestions. But it's also a product of necessity. The staff are moving offices this week, from Newbury Street, where the internet connection has already gone down, to Center Street in downtown Berkeley, where they don't yet have phone connections or anywhere to sit.

Editorial director Mark Katches says that even after the office move is complete, more Open Newsrooms are planned. "We're hoping it will be a regular part of what we do," he wrote on the California Watch Inside the Newsroom blog. "The Open Newsroom concept is part of a goal to connect with readers and get out of the office."

The staff have posted their café locations and hours online to enable members of the public to drop by. Otherwise, staff will mainly be working from home this week, and will start at the new office on January 25.  

Indeed, this combination works in other organisations. The hyperlocal Czech newspaper Nase Adresa (Our Address) runs cafes in its local newsrooms to enable journalists to work closer to their readers (disclosure: WEF has been involved in the project as a consultant). And California Watch itself has already demonstrated its commitment to work in cooperation with readers. It recently launched a new website that encourages readers to dig through databases of everything from campaign finance records to school attendance rates, to investigate for themselves.

Sources: California Watch, Editor and Publisher