FBZ, via Flickr (CC license)

Despite what you read in the papers, news doesn’t really arrive all wrapped up with a bow. Technorati Profile

Since Boulder Carbon Tax Tracker is a community journalism project, we’ll sometimes do things here quite differently from what you’d see in traditional news outlets.

Contrary to what you often experience when reading a newspaper, news and information almost never arrives in a neat, complete package. In traditional journalism, the stories you read usually are the result of a great deal of research, consultation with sources, and back-and-forth between writers and editors. Generally the finished product reveals only the results of that process.

In contrast, this site’s coverage and discussion of the unfolding issue of how Boulder is spending (and what we’re getting for) our carbon tax dollars will lay the process of journalism bare…

…Well, mostly bare. We won’t publish unchecked facts and leads. And we will do our best to distinguish fact from opinion. But this site often will show the process of how questions arise and get answered — and how answers generally lead to more questions.

In fact, my most recent post, What’s a “Cost Effective” Climate Action Measure? did just that. I took the community along on my small journey of discovery — starting from a conversation with a local expert and the question he raised, through an initial inquiry with a local official, and delving into a public document. At the end I had new questions, of course. Those will be the subject of future posts.

This is a different approach to journalism. But like many crafts, journalism is not one-size-fits all. Boulder Carbon Tax Tracker strives to combine journalistic techniques with diverse commentary, analysis, and discussion. We’re trying to complement and expand upon, not duplicate, the local news you’re getting through mainstream media. We hope that, with your participation, the result will be helpful, thought-provoking, and constructive for Boulder and beyond.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 29th, 2007 at 9:20 pm and is filed under About this project, Journalism skills. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.