*Well, since newspapers started out in coffeehouses, maybe it makes sense to go back there now that all media hell has broken loose.
*I mean, at least you get coffee. And a roof. A bathroom, even.
http://www.wieninternational.at/en/node/20191
"Czech Republic: local news from the coffee house
"A new young generation of media makers has set out to transform the Czech market with pioneering and innovative projects like the so-called Newsroom Cafés. There, local newspapers are produced jointly by editorial staff and guests of the café. Around 150 of these cafés have been opened so far, giving a boost to local journalism.
"Jan Krčmář jun., the Prague correspondent of wieninternational.at, has taken a closer look at the new Newsroom Cafés.
"‘As local as possible’: this could be the motto of the project ‘Naše adresa’ (Our address) that wants to give a whole new dimension to local reporting. Local newspapers are currently being produced in a number of Czech cities with the active participation of, and in close (physical) proximity to, the readers. The project was also presented recently at the European Newspaper Congress in Vienna.
"Quality journalism on the local level
"‘Naše adresa’ (Our address) is a multimedia project that focuses entirely on local – or, to be more exact, ‘hyper-local’ – reporting. The stories presented in local weeklies and on websites deal with local issues – and they provide an extent of detail that other communal media do not offer. This includes information on things like planned maintenance work on water pipes and the ensuing disruptions and traffic information as well as sports results of local clubs in amateur leagues that usually go unnoticed in other media. Project initiator Roman Gallo from the PPF agency confirms that the project aims at producing quality journalism on the local level. This helps to set ‘Naše adresa’ publications apart from many national media where local offices are primarily seen as training grounds for inexperienced journalists who have little attachment to local news...."
(((This innovation might also be interpreted as a kind of newspaper hackerspace. Hmmm.)))
