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Want to be a member of Watchdog? By watchdog in Watchdog May 12, 2009

I don’t know if this is going to work, but it’d sure be cool if it did.

At the beginning of each new year, we here at the newspaper spell out our goals for the next 12 months.

In January, I wrote: “Grow readership of and participation in my Watchdog column and blog. I hope to make this a popular feature that readers grow excited to read and contribute to. I will form a Watchdog committee and invite residents to be part of the group.”

This column is written to invite you to the table.

My idea is to form a committee that not only brainstorms story ideas but works together to report them, too.

I’m looking for residents who have special skills, such as lawyers, real estate agents, accountants, plumbers, stay-at-home mothers and any other person who brings a unique talent to the table.

You may know how to pore over court documents, troll the Web for facts or understand the difference between a 501(c) and a 501(b).

The point is to allow our readers be part of the newsgathering process, and to be there to analyze the facts gathered, too.

A problem quickly presents itself: There is no current model for this idea. We’d have to learn as we go.

To understand the ethics of asking residents to help me gather, analyze and report news, I called Fred Brown, vice chairman of the ethics committee for the Society of Professional Journalists.

“I think it’s a great idea. You could have a staff of experts able to help with and contribute to stories,” Brown said. “The more experts you can get the better. The benefits are that you get people who really know what they’re talking about and can offer their expert opinions.”

Newspaper purists, Brown notes, will say I shouldn’t in this way involve those from outside the newsroom. So long as committee members follow the same journalism rules – be independent and as accurate as possible – he sees no problem.

“I say take it, formalize it, make it a process. I think it’s a real innovation. I see much more benefits than problems.”

My goal is at first to create a 10-member committee. We could: * Meet in-person once a month to discuss stories we should cover. * Divvy up the work needed to cover the stories, based on skill sets. * Remain in contact via e-mail and phone in the interim. * Let readers know the stories we’re working on, and update them on our process and progress in my blog. * Report the story.

Of course, I’d verify any fact or quote presented by a committee member. And we’re still working out the best way to give committee members attribution.

Because as Brown notes, journalists should show the same level of transparency as we expect from those we cover.

With that in mind: I can’t cover 80 percent of the Watchdog stories I’d like to. Wanna help?

Gabe Semenza / Public Service Editor for the Advocate. Contact me in here, at 361-580-6519 or gsemenza@vicad.com.

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