Pro-am journalism

One of the more interesting journalism-of-the-Web projects now under way is NewAssignment.Net, the brainchild of New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen. Rosen, who's the author of the weblog Press Think, envisions professional journalists -- editors and reporters -- working with citizen journalists to engage in the kind of investigative reporting that not even the largest newsrooms can undertake.

Rosen talked about his idea last week with NPR's "On the Media." You can listen to the clip or, after tomorrow, read the transcript. His introductory essay is here. And checking out the "Exposing Earmarks" project for an idea of how a collaboration between professional and amateur journalists can work in the real world.