VTDigger editor Anne Galloway flipped the switch this month on Tipster, a companion to the website she created in 2009 to cover Vermont politics and public policy.
The goal with Tipster was to design a newsgathering platform that functions like a social networking site – in a sense, a Facebook where reporters could let readers know what they are working on and ask readers for story suggestions and tips.
“We wanted to make the newsgathering process more transparent and give readers and reporters a place to work together,” said Galloway.
It would become the place where readers, reporters and public relations professionals gather to share information and discuss stories in greater depth.
Over a 10-month period from inception to launch, Galloway and developer Josh Larkin surveyed readers and further refined the concept. They invited reporters and PR professionals, as well as 100 of VTDigger’s most avid readers, to join and used their feedback to continue to hone the site.
How it Works
Tipster’s three types of members – reporters, public relations professionals and Tipsters from the general public – interact with other members by uploading and sharing documents, photos and links.
Reporters have additional privileges that allow them to create posts directed at readers. In these, they may ask for assistance on a story, solicit questions for officials, put out a call for sources or receive story pitches.
For example, a reporter can post a query on a story he or she is working on. A Tipster could offer pertinent documents. Meanwhile, a public relations professional can post a press release related to the story at hand. In addition, the three users can engage in ongoing discussions within forums, read additional posts by reporters and PR professionals and view event listings.
Galloway has created a community of readers and requires that they generate a profile. Their full name and hometown are listed whenever they participate, but they control what other information is made public.
There is also a “super secret tip” on the front page that anyone can use to instantly send a private note to the editors.
Building Tipster
Galloway worked closely with Larkin to customize the site using WordPress. The blogging platform has become a powerful tool to operate news sites because of its ease of use. It also allows for the addition of pre-made plug-ins that enhance the website. In this case, Larkin extensively modified a plug-in called BuddyPress.
It required a significant amount of testing to before it was rolled out in early June. By October, the site was planning further refinements, Galloway said.
Marketing Tipster’s existence has accounted for roughly 17 percent of the overall $17,000 first-year budget. In addition to house ads on VTDigger.org, Galloway has invested in Facebook ads targeted to Vermont users and a sponsorship on Vermont Public Radio.
Tipster’s Next Phase
Galloway has grand plans for year two of the project, including developing a tool that would improve access to documents that are difficult to find on government websites. “We would like to develop a standalone document library and web application that ties directly into both Tipster and the main VTDigger.org site,” said Galloway. She estimates that would cost $6,000.
Additionally, Galloway envisions using Tipster to create a main document library for VTDigger, complete with a tagging and categorization system that would make it easier for readers to find official documents.
She is also considering a shopping cart tool that would allow users to add documents to their cart until they are ready to download them, at which point the items could be zipped together into one file.
Galloway believes improvements like these will cement Tipster as a formidable player in Vermont journalism.
“We will gauge the success of the site based on the number of members who join and the quality and quantity of interactions between Tipsters, Reporters and PR professionals,” Galloway says. All suggestions are welcome.This news start-up covering Vermont plans to build a crowdsourcing platform called Tipster to help develop stories. Using Tipster, readers and reporters will collaborate and exchange information to build in-depth reports. Future support is expected from business and college sponsorships.
