17 October 2008

Getting journalist students to Wikinews

On Wikimedia projects, author credit is only given in the history tab. For most of the projects that makes perfect sense, because pages have lots and lots of different authors coming in at different times. However, for Wikinews that is not the case. Most of the time, articles on Wikinews are written by just one person, and then copy-edited and published. Not often does a Wikinews article actually have several authors.

Now, we know there are lots and lots of journalist students out there – and from what I gather from various TV series and movies, they are all “dying” to get their name “on print”. So why not let them do that on Wikinews? It does not have to be obtrusive; a mockup of what it could look like can be found here.

With Wikinews getting coverage in Google News, student journalists will probably be even more eager to get their name out there, and more inclined to join Wikinews. Sure, it’s working for free, but it gives you publicity. And all of these students are a vast resource that could multiply Wikinews’ coverage – the way I see it, the chance is too good to miss.