It’s a simple principle: Journalism is a process, not a product – and that process should be participatory.

That sentence describes what I have worked for throughout my journalism career. I am constantly trying to push that principle forward. It started as a freelancer for Wired.com, continued through my work at Columbia Journalism Review and freelancing for Seed Magazine. Working for Jay Rosen and Jeff Jarvis obviously pushed my career forward and gave me the opportunity to work on amazing citizen journalism projects like Assignment Zero, Beat Blogging, NewsTrust and the Networked Journalism Summit and more.

I’ve been very lucky in my career that I’ve had the opportunity to always push boundaries. I hope I can continue to do so for many years to come. Today it’s official – Spot.Us, my most recent and perhaps largest project, is launching.

I’m looking to tackle a large problem with a small executable solution.

The problem: Revenue.

Journalism is a process not a product, but that process takes time and people who do it professionally need to be compensated.

The Solution: Community Funding.

The process of journalism should be participatory – and perhaps one way it can be made participatory is if the public has the opportunity to commission the journalism they want to see.

Traditionally .001% of the public has a freelance budget to hire a journalist. We call those people “editors.” Spot.Us is an attempt to increase the percentage of people that can have an editorial influence. I am incredibly passionate about this project. As I noted when I first announced it at NewAssignment.net – I would be perfectly content if this becomes my lifelong contribution to journalism.

How it works!

Anyone can create a “story tip.” These can be anything – but must have a local Bay Area focus. We will expand into other regions soon.

• Here’s a real example: How effective are the homeless shelter resources?.

Reporters create story “pitches”: These can be inspired by tips or their own original idea.

• Here’s an example: How Does the Economic Downturn Affect Small San Francisco Businesses?

News Organizations can get exclusive rights to content if they donate 50% or 100% towards a pitch. Any extra proceeds go back to the original funders.

If no news organization pays for exclusive rights – we will still make the content available to republish by anyone for free and publish it on our site.

That’s how it works, so what is next?

That’s Where You Come In!!!

Yes, your time is precious, but if you believe that journalism is a public good, everyone wins and your donation of time, effort or money won’t be for nothing – it will mean EVERYTHING!

Citizens: I need your help. You are the only ones that know what stories are untold. Let us know what you want investigated by creating a tip. Do the ground level community organizing around pithces and tips you are passionate about – grow the network. Just 40 people donating $25 each is enough to fund the average story. In return you get a new sense of editorial power. Finally you can determine what investigations get reported on in your community.

Reporters: Try pitching the public. If it works – you’ll get paid for doing what you love. You can build out your portfolio, find new story ideas from the tips and through Spot.Us you can pitch traditional news organizations and the public at the same time!

News organizations: It’s time for freelancers and publications to move forward together. Use Spot.Us to stretch your freelance budget, discover a fresh pool of talent and forge positive relationships with your readers. If you have freelancers you already work with – why not let them crowdfund half their wage on Spot.Us?

Journalism hasn’t had it easy lately. But journalism MUST survive the death of its institutions. I earnestly believe that journalism, as a process, plays an integral role in our local democracies. I hope Spot.Us can play a small part in making sure we continue to move forward in that vein.

ONWARD!!!!!!

(Oh… check out http://spot.us too)

Related posts:

1. Community Funded Reporting – If You Doubt It – tell that to folks who just raised 60k
2. LA Spot.Us Announces Managing Editor, Ramps Up for Community Funded Journalism
3. Ana Marie Cox Employs – Community Funded Reporting
4. Community Funded Reporting in Arizona!
5. The Chris Brogan Fiasco and Why Community Funded Reporting Works