Digital journalism for community-based development: from interactive tools to the means of engagement

Abstract

This project is part of a three-year research carried out by the advisor on the modeling of business, processes, and journalism innovation in digital media centered on a value proposition based on credibility attributes and local development-oriented community engagement. Supposedly, such attributes pose a qualitative advantage in the current social, political, and economic context, facing the proliferation of unreliable news sources online and a shift on local media operations. This proposal aims at examining how and to what extent the certification of content credibility and the evaluation of participatory civics can add value to those operations, creating a trustful relationship and motivating audience engagement as well as enabling new revenue streams through sales, service providing and crowdfunding. Literature review and case studies on digital news websites and their financing and interaction instruments are the research methods applied. The chosen cases of study at this stage are Texas Tribune and the National Public Radio (NPR), from the United States, to be compared with other cases from Brazil and Spain examined in related projects. In this effort, it is our intent to bring together emergent standards for journalistic media and contemporary demands of democratic societies, considering the public commitment, the social role, and the sustainability of these operations. (AU)