Help make the news

"I could report this story better!"

We've all had that reaction at one time or another when reading the newspaper.

Well, now you have an opportunity to do something about it. Beginning today, you can work with Adam Jensen, an environmental reporter for the Tahoe Daily Tribune, on his stories. Simply visit the Tahoe Daily Tribune's Web site, www.TahoeDailyTribune.com. Near the top of every environmental story Jensen publishes, you will find a link to "The TahoeNotebook." Clicking on the link will take you to the Notebook - a tool that allows you to contribute facts, tips, and sources to Adam's stories.

The Notebook has been created by Moses Achoka and Abbey Smith, journalism graduate students at the University of Nevada, Reno. They were inspired to create it when their research showed that news is usually framed as a conversation between elites and officials.

Meant to split the difference between comment boards - which journalists often don't read, and citizen journalism - which many citizens don't have time to do - the Notebook allows readers to help shape the news.

By clicking on the link, readers can read the contributions of others and share their own. Jensen will rate every comment so that contributors develop a reputation in this online community. Readers may also develop MyNotebook homepages on OurTahoe.org, the home site of the TahoeNotebook, and archive all stories to which they contributed facts, tips and sources.

The idea, Smith says, is that "Jensen and his readers will create better news than either can produce alone."

The Notebook is one of several projects developed by fellows in the graduate program at the Reynolds School of Journalism. Each projects is intended to create new forms of journalism that help communities at Lake Tahoe address the environmental issues they face.

Related Links:

OurTahoe.org www.ourtahoe.org

Tahoe Daily Tribune www.tahoedailytribune.com