The Lund Report Joins Oregonian News Network

May 6, 2011 -- We're pleased to announce The Lund Report is now part of The Oregonian News Network, a new pilot program that puts OregonLive at the center of the local online conversation.

 

The Lund Report has been chosen along with eight others to participate in this bold new venture which intends to bridge the gap between online media and the traditional newsroom.

 

“This is about literally sending our reader to other small news sites for the full story,” said ONN project coordinator Cornelius Swart. “The Oregonian is dedicated to professional reporting. We’d also like to become a trusted source in referring readers to quality local reporting done by other folks as well. The idea is when you come

to OregonLive you’re going to find quality, whether we’re doing it or whether we’re pointing you to someone else.”

 

The pilot phase of the program is funded in part by a one-year grant from American University’s J-Lab Institute for Interactive Journalism.

 

The Lund Report is among nine news partners that represent a diverse spectrum of niche and community news sites from the Portland metropolitan area and across the state. The other partners include: BikePortland, Oregon Capitol News, The Skanner, Neighborhood Notes, Clark County Blog, MyEugene, North Coast Oregon and The Yaquina Wavelength.

 

“The pilot partners represent a cross section of folks who typify the kind of online reporting that’s changing traditional definitions of news,” said Swart. “This is a unique opportunity to see if we can create a cooperative model that will help us all to flourish.”

 

Getting new and old media to work together is not without it’s challenges.

 

“Many of these sites could be considered competitors, some are advocates for their communities, others don’t easily fit the traditional definition of journalism,” said JoLene Krawczak, The Oregonian Managing Editor for Features and Communities. “But that’s really the whole point. The digital age has changed how and where people get their news. This program tries to stretch how the newspaper and the website deliver the news by offering different voices from our news partners.”

 

Krawczak said that as part of a willingness to work with non-traditional news makers, the ONN will offer training and workshops to partners aimed at connecting with the professional resources of The Oregonian and helping to pass along the trusted values, skills and traditions of classic newsroom journalism.

 

Working with new media reporters as peers is part of what makes the ONN partnership more than just a set of weblinks, Swart said.

 

“The exciting thing is that we all get to learn from each other,” he added. “The Oregonian can teach classic journalism, but on other things, like how to navigate the new online news environment, our partners might have a lot they can teach us. We’re hoping that, in the long run, the partners and The Oregonian can all learn to work, and evolve together.”