This ruling emerged when Crystal Cox, a blogger, was accused of defaming Obsidian Finance Group and its co-founder Kevin Padrick on her blog. She posted that Padrick acted criminally in a federal bankruptcy case. Padrick sued and the court found that Cox was not protected under the state’s media shield law.

This decision has implications for bloggers around the country.

Since there is no legal definition for “the press,” this court ruling is one of the first to explicitly say that bloggers are not the media. This comes only a few short months after a federal court ruled that anyone, including bloggers, may legally record public officials, including police officers. The ruling said:

[C]hanges in technology and society have made the lines between private citizen and journalist exceedingly difficult to draw. The proliferation of electronic devices with video-recording capability means that many of our images of current events come from bystanders with a ready cell phone or digital camera rather than a traditional film crew, and news stories are now just as likely to be broken by a blogger at her computer as a reporter at a major newspaper. Such developments make clear why the news-gathering protections of the First Amendment cannot turn on professional credentials or status.
[Page 13 of the Slip Opinion from Glik v. Cuniffe]

While the Glik case was a victory for citizen journalism, the Oregon ruling is a failure to recognize the drastic changes occurring in the journalism world. Current technological advancements have made the line between citizen journalists and mainstream media harder to define. This is beneficial not only to anyone who produces news but also news consumers as well.

Many forget that when a newspaper goes under, it is not only those reporters who have lost their jobs that are affected. And when a local newspaper is forced to downsize their staff and product, there is a gaping hole in their news coverage that the consumer is losing. Entire communities are left without news coverage and left without access to vital information.

Stepping up to fill the void left when a local newspaper cuts back or closes are citizen journalists. They have proven that it no longer takes press credentials or a New York Times business card to break national news. Citizen journalists have captured government scandals and discovered injustice in their state capitols. They do the same job that the “mainstream reporters” are doing without either a pay check or fancy office.

Citizen journalists are providing a valuable service to their communities. They are relentlessly searching for the truth by preserving liberty and democracy. They are doing all of this without the respect that a protected member of the media has.

Instead of penalizing citizen journalists and failing to recognize their value to the changing media world, the courts should grant them journalistic protections. Those who value news should hope that the Oregon ruling is not followed in other states.

Jason Stverak is the President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, a leading journalism non-profit organization dedicated to providing investigative reporters and non-profit organizations at the state and local level with training, expertise, and technical support. For more information on the Franklin Center please visit www.FranklinCenterHQ.org.

This case emerged from an incident where a private citizen used his personal cell phone to capture alleged police brutality.

Simon Glik could have walked away when he saw two police officers punching a man in the face. Instead, he pulled out his cellphone and started recording it. When Mr. Glik informed the police officers that he was recording audio, the officer arrested him for violating the state’s wiretap law. He also was charged with disturbing the peace and aiding the escape of a prisoner. The charges were dropped eventually because of lack of merit, but Mr. Glik filed a lawsuit claiming his free-speech rights had been violated.

This latest ruling is especially relevant to those who consider themselves citizen journalists. Before the court’s decision, members of the general public did not have the legal protection guaranteed by state shield laws enjoyed by credentialed journalists.

The court decision, in part, reads:

“Changes in technology and society have made the lines between private citizen and journalist exceedingly difficult to draw. The proliferation of electronic devices with video-recording capability means that many of our images of current events come from bystanders with a ready cell phone or digital camera rather than a traditional film crew, and news stories are now just as likely to be broken by a blogger at her computer as a reporter at a major newspaper. Such developments make clear why the news-gathering protections of the First Amendment cannot turn on professional credentials or status.”

Although this decision does not clarify the much-debated discussion on who counts as “the press,” it does state that freedom of the press and speech guaranteed in the First Amendment no longer just apply to salaried reporters.

The decision also acknowledges that current technological advancements have made the line between citizen journalists and the mainstream press more difficult to define. This is beneficial to individuals who produce news, as well as news consumers.

The ruling also makes it clear that those reporters who sit at the top newspapers around the nation do not have different rights then those bloggers who pull out their cell phones to record their stories. It seems that most have forgotten that even well-compensated reporters are in fact, citizen journalists, who receive a paycheck to keep the public informed.

Another object lost on the typical news consumers is that when a newspaper goes under, it is not only those reporters who have lost their jobs who are affected. Entire communities are left without news coverage and without access to vital information. Stepping up to fill the void left when a local newspaper cuts back or closes are citizen journalists. They have proved that it no longer takes press credentials or a New York Times business card to break national news. Citizen journalists have captured their local congressman in scandals and reported on the tax increase a state senator hoped no one would find out about. They do the same job that “mainstream reporters” are doing without either a paycheck or a fancy office.

Citizen journalists are doing their part to keep our government officials accountable to the people. They do this by attending a town-hall meeting and reporting on the events or taking out a cellphone and videotaping what is viewed as injustice by the police. They are preserving democracy and making their hometowns better places for their families and friends. It is a thankless service that our country cannot afford to dismiss.

By allowing citizens the protection to videotape government officials without fear of arrest and prosecution, this ruling is a victory to anyone who supports journalistic freedom. We welcome any and all citizen journalists who feel the need to take action to better their communities.

Jason Stverak is the President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, a leading journalism non-profit organization. The Franklin Center is dedicated to providing investigative reporters and non-profit organizations at the state and local level with training, expertise, and technical support. For more information on the Franklin Center please visit www.FranklinCenterHQ.org.

The report blames the shrinking of the newsroom for many of the problems facing journalism. The FCC study showed that newspapers and TV news networks across the nation have halved the staff they had in the 1980s. And those reporters are now forced to produce in “the hamster wheel,” where reporters must rush to tell the news without time or resources to dig deeper. According to the FCC, reporters “have less time to discover the stories lurking in the shadows or to unearth the information that powerful institutions want to conceal.”

One of the recommendations made by the FCC is a state-based version of C-SPAN. This STATE-SPAN would provide wall-to-wall coverage of local government and allow the public to hear the debates and see the votes coming from their state capitols. Although this would increase access, it remains to be seen if the public is interested in this. For STATE-SPAN, who would explain why a state or local legislative action matters? Veteran journalists know that most major decisions are made behind the scenes, long before an issue comes before a council or legislature.

The other big question is who would fund this venture? The cable television industry funds C-SPAN as a public service, but who could step up to provide such access in all fifty states?

Instead of beginning a risky venture like STATE-SPAN or allowing government to intervene in the journalism business, the FCC should look at new journalism initiatives that are covering local and state government effectively. Many of these organizations are nonprofit organizations operating solely online but breaking news in the mainstream media.

Online, nonprofit journalism organizations are filling a void that traditional news media no longer can. Although news organization startups are increasing, many of these nonprofits have been around for decades and are focusing on local stories. Some of the nonprofit journalism organizations serve as watchdogs for government, Wall Street and the media itself. Some serve as explanatory journalists, who have the space and time to elucidate the complex details of issues that newspapers and television cannot. But regardless of their mission, they are providing a desperately needed service to the American people.

As further proof of the strength in online journalism organizations, numerous straight-shooting, frustrated journalists are leaving traditional newsrooms and joining these online newsrooms. These organizations provide journalists the opportunity to investigate and reemerge as the news beat reporters of yesteryear. In the last year alone, Howard Kurtz, Peter Goodman, Jim VandeHei, and Richard Johnson have voluntarily exited the legacy media to join the online news arena.

The FCC is correct on many of the points made in their report. Journalism is struggling. State and local news will disappear unless more news organizations step up and begin covering that beat. We hope more organizations hear the urgent calling of this FCC report and begin producing state and local news content that will keep voters informed.

Jason Stverak is the President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, which provides investigative reporters and non-profit organizations at the state and local level with training, expertise, and technical support. For more information on the Franklin Center please visit www.FranklinCenterHQ.org. The Franklin Center has two national news websites. To check out the investigative news site please visit Watchdog.org. To get the latest state capitol news please visit StateHouseNewsOnline.com.

This is because as of March 2011, it will cost you up to $35 a month to peruse the New York Times. But the Times is not the only publication investing in an online paywall as an attempt to generate desperately needed revenue. Currently only a handful of news organizations charge for online content, including The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and Newsday.

But is this a necessary evil for newspapers to survive or just a costly mistake that will increase popularity of free news sites? And is charging for newspapers a guaranteed way to increase viewership, revenue and advertisements?

Not at Newsday.

Long Island’s daily paper spent roughly $4 million to redesign and relaunch its site charging online readers $5 a week, or $260 a year, to get total access to news. In three months only 35 people signed up. Newsday’s free Web traffic nosedived, and advertising revenue decreased.

The $4 million that Newsday spent is chump change compared to the reported $40 million New York Times allocated to set up its new paywall.

A factor behind Newsday’s problem is the popularity of free news sites and blogs. In a major media market like Washington D.C. or New York City, a variety of newspapers cover the same geographic area and news. If the New York Times is charging for content but the New York Post is not, what is to say that the frequent former NYTimes.com reader won’t turn to the NYPost.com for free news?

Hundreds of news blogs like Drudge and Huffington Post populate their sites with breaking news and analysis. If online news consumers get stuck behind pay walls, they can search for articles from free news sources.

More traditional newspapers look to investigative stories from non-profit news organizations to publish at no cost. However, the same news story written by Texas Watchdog picked up by the Dallas Morning News and Houston Chronicle is available free on TexasWatchdog.org. As more newspapers use this free content from non-profit journalists, papers that charge will increasingly overlap quality content with those that don’t.

A website charging news consumers is not only costly to the readers but to the newspapers. Newsday’s $4 million redesign has provided a mere $9,000 in revenue. Not many newspapers in this current environment that can risk losing millions of dollars. The current numbers are still out for the New York Times paywall but with $40 million spent, they are going to have to draw a significant audience to recoup their costs.

And let’s not forget that a March 2010 Project for Excellence in Journalism survey reported that 82% of people with favorite news sites said they’d find somewhere else free to find their news if they started asking for payments. Of the more than 2,000 people survey by Pew only 19% said that would pay for online news.

And although early indications are that the New York Times paywall is racking in the readers, a reported 100,000, how many of them joined when it was offered for a free subscription and how many are paying the lowest cost of readership? If half of their readers are reading for free or at a low cost, there is no way that they will break even on this money experiment.

With the majority of the audience unwilling to pay and readily available free options, why should the New York Times paywall be any more successful than the Newsday one? The only way to ensure the success of charging for online content is for every online news site to charge, or no one charges.

Newspapers have to do something to stay afloat, but charging for online content is a risky venture that inflicts the financial burden on readers who are frankly unwilling to pay. If paywalls are the only solutions for the newspaper industry, then publishers and editors need to go back to the drawing board.

Newspapers have to do something to stay afloat, but charging for online content is not the answer.

Jason Stverak is the President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, a leading journalism non-profit organization. The Franklin Center is dedicated to providing reporters and non-profit organizations at the state and local level with training, expertise, and technical support. For more information on the Franklin Center please visit www.FranklinCenterHQ.org.

According to Pew, 41% of adults say they get most of their news about national and international news from the Internet, this up 17 points from 2007. 66% say that television is still their main source of national and international news but that is down from 74% three years ago and 82% in 2002.

This study also compared generational differences among news consumers and found that the Internet is the primary source of news for people younger than 30. Although not surprising, this is the first time that Internet has topped television news in any Pew study. In fact, since 2007, the number of 18 to 29 year olds citing the Internet as their main source for news has nearly doubled, from 34% to 65%.

This study, as well as so many other recent surveys, continues to drive home the fact that the ways Americans get their news has changed dramatically over the last decade. And, although this may be seen as the beginning of the end to print newspapers and television news, this isn’t a bad thing for the future of our country.

The various opportunities and platforms that Americans have to obtain news can improve democracy by ensuring a better-informed and aware public. If a working mother doesn’t have 30 minutes a day to read her local paper or watch the nightly news but she has a Blackberry, Droid, iPhone or iPad that feeds her selected stories ranging from PTA bulletins to Supreme Court nominations in between carpool, meetings and soccer practice, she will be better informed. The Internet allows her and millions of others the chance to keep abreast of the news that affects them while living their hectic lives.

In addition, we as a country simply cannot afford to rely on traditional media such as newspapers, local TV stations and radio to get all of our information. Local television news ratings continue to suffer historic declines and radio abandoned original news creation a decade ago. That leaves communities without coverage. Forced to live without vigorous local and state coverage, citizens must find other ways to get news or they are left in the dark. They also need to hear all sides of public debates in order to make informed decisions on who to vote for and what issues to support.

That’s where technology really becomes a game-changer. Now all citizens can gather news from their backyard on their computer without relying on the legacy media. In addition, average citizens also have the opportunity to become journalists themselves by reporting, writing and recording news on their own.

The Internet has truly revolutionized how we consume and produce news. And as more youth and adults begin utilizing the Internet for news gathering, the statistics of television news viewers will continue to decrease. Pew’s study isn’t novel in its findings but clearly show that the future of news is online.

Jason Stverak is the President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, a leading journalism non-profit organization. The Franklin Center has two national news websites. To check out the investigative news site please visit Watchdog.org. To get the latest state capitol news please visit StateHouseNewsOnline.com. If you are a reporter or a citizen journalist and are interested in getting involved in non-profit journalism, please e-mail Info@FranklinCenterHQ.org.

While many are scratching their heads wondering why these and other talented reporters are leaving the perceived luxurious lifestyle of the traditional media, those who work in the journalism industry have come to realize that online news ventures provide great opportunity to grow as a reporter and work on the cutting edge of journalism. In fact, increasingly, straight-shooting journalists are leaving the newsroom and joining online journalism organizations that provide journalists the opportunity to investigate the news and reemerge as the beat reporters from yesteryear.

The mass exodus from the traditional media comes at a time when the newspaper industry is struggling. Figures released this week by the Audit Bureau of Circulations show average daily circulation fell 5 percent in the April-September period, compared with the same period a year earlier. A March 2010 report from the Pew Research Center’s annual Project for Excellence in Journalism showed that 2009 was a devastating year for the traditional news media. Among Pew’s findings were that newspapers currently spend $1.6 billion less annually on reporting and editing than they did ten years ago and over the last three years 15,000 full-time reporting and editing jobs were lost.

And while newspaper circulations and ad revenues are plummeting, a June 2010 Pew Report found that roughly a third (34%) of the public say they went online for news and 44% of Americans say they got news through one or more internet or mobile digital source. Both of these statistics are considerably higher than those who said they turned to their local newspaper for their news coverage.

However, the growth in popularity of online news is only one of the many reasons why reporters are leaving traditional media outlets for an online news project.

At many of the legacy media outlets, reporters feel quite limited due to orders coming from the top down, with very little collaboration. The immeasurable levels of bureaucracy that a reporter endures at a tradition media operation to get his or her idea heard were not only a burden but deterred creativity. Online journalism, particularly in a small organization, means very little bureaucracy and more innovation. It means being able to collaborate and communicate with everyone in the organization. And that leads to more ideas for stories and better journalism.

Reporters also found that not being bound by the traditional expectation of a large journalism institution such as the Washington Post, Houston Chronicle or San Francisco Chronicle had huge advantages. If those newspapers “don’t cover” something — such as every city council meeting — well, the reporters there will likely be criticized by the public. In the case of many new online news ventures, the public has no expectations, which allows the reporters to focus on long- and short-term investigations and enterprise journalism.

There is also a lack of a “Well, we’ve always done it this way” kind of attitude at online journalism organization. Because they are new, they are nimble and are more willing to try new ideas. This risk-taking approach is no longer apparent in traditional newsrooms around the nation that are being forced to cut back due to financial uncertainties.

As long as online news organizations continue to thrive and produce quality and accurate news coverage, more mainstream journalists are going to join the bandwagon. Soon it will no longer be a headline when a reporter leaves the Wall Street Journal is start up a news organization online. And as more and more online news ventures materialize, the journalism industry will get stronger and news consumers will have additional chances to see how powerful online journalism truly is.

Jason Stverak is the President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, which is dedicated to providing investigative reporters and non-profit organizations at the state and local level with training, expertise, and technical support. If you are a reporter or a citizen journalist and are interested in getting involved in non-profit journalism, please email Info@FranklinCenterHQ.org.

The statistics are staggering in the newspaper and journalism business. Every day reporters at media outlets are being laid off and resources are being cut. This is leaving entire communities without local news coverage and without the knowledge they need to be informed citizens.

Where this drastic decline is showing its repercussions is in city halls, courthouses and state capitols around the nation. For whatever reason, it seems that among the first beats to go at newspapers are state and local government reporters. With the decreasing media presence, there are fewer journalists working to keep the public aware of actions of their elected officials. There are fewer watchful eyes keeping bureaucrats and elected officials accountable.

And while there is no one covering the meetings and hearings, and poring over public records, there are people forming to take on these stories. However, these non-profit reporters, citizen journalists and bloggers are often being shown the cold shoulder and being denied credentials because they don’t have a business card from a newspaper or television station.

Denying press credentials to independent, non-profit and citizen journalists who are working to get stories is doing a disservice to every news consumer. Many of these journalists are filling the void that is left when a local newspaper cuts back or closes. They do the same job that the legacy media reporters are sometimes are doing it without either a paycheck or title.

And then there’s the argument that says that press credentials only allow journalists to attend press conferences and be exposed to what officials want reporters to hear, so why need them? That answer is simple, without credentials these non-profit and citizen journalists don’t have the opportunity to ask questions of their government officials or attend important briefings that no one else is reporting.

The solution is not to open the floodgates to anyone who claims to be from “media.” A standard system in every state can allow anyone to apply for credentials and be judged solely on the content they produce. This application process must not be cost prohibitive or require ridiculous, unfeasible standards. If the journalists can prove they are, in fact, practicing journalistic skills and producing news stories for the benefit of the public, they should be granted credentials.

The current news crisis is not the fault of the American people, so they should not be forced to be ignorant of governments because traditional media cut back. The government must be held accountable. This can be done by independent reporters pursuing the stories. Restricting credentials for people practicing journalistic endeavors hurts democracy and does a disservice to all those who care about their government.

Beyond that, it shuts off a source for important stories traditional media no longer can afford to pursue.

Jason Stverak is the President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, a journalism non-profit organization dedicated to providing investigative reporters and non-profit organizations at the state and local level with training, expertise, and technical support. For more information on the Franklin Center please visit FranklinCenterHQ.org.

In The age of journalistic outsourcing, Kurtz argues that while traditional print media struggle, new journalism organizations, mostly non-profits, are “giving the restless and the jobless a second lease on life.” But why has it taken so long for the legacy media to realize the untapped potential of online non-profit organizations?

Many online non-profit news organizations have been around for decades. They produce quality investigative articles about a range of topics. They have been responsible for breaking news, exposing scandal and reporting stories traditional media miss. A new non-profit journalism organization seems to be appearing daily, and with that comes innovative reporting and a new approach to journalism.

However, it isn’t just the non-profit journalism organizations that are seeing the vast potential in providing journalism to the newspaper industry. Large multinational companies have recently launched or expanded their reporting capacity to meet this growing need. Included in the bunch is AOL, which is adding hundreds of journalists over the next year. Yahoo recently opened a Washington news bureau.

One reason for the delay in accepting non-profit journalism organizations as authentic news producers is the misconception that they are competition to traditional media. However, as Kurtz pointed out in his column, collaboration between non-profits and legacy media is producing terrific content that is changing the conversation in media, politics and households around the nation.

Non-profit journalism organizations are assets more print outlets should be taking advantage of if only for the cost savings that come with using non-profit news content. In fact, some of the online non-profits operate under a free “steal our stuff” model. At The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, we sponsor two news organizations — Watchdog.org and Statehouse News. These initiatives fulfill a substantial hole in state-based news coverage, and that is why the content produced by Watchdog.org and Statehouse not only is free to the public but it is free to the news media.

Illinois Statehouse News (ISN), a product of the Franklin Center, is committed to filling the growing vacuum in state-based coverage. Since going live in December 2009, ISN’s daily content has been used by more than 40 daily newspapers, 11 television stations and numerous radio stations. The coverage is an example of why non-profit journalism organizations are a desperately needed resource for local newspapers as well as national ones.

Non-profit journalism is playing a vital and needed role in the news business. The thirst for news by the American public is not diminishing just because a newspaper in a community collapses. Although traditional media has an important place in the news business, non-profits are a big part of the future of news and should be accepted as such.

Jason Stverak is the President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, a national journalism non-profit organization dedicated to providing investigative reporters and non-profit organizations at the state and local level with training, expertise, and technical support.

[Editor's note: Coming Wednesday on OJR - Editor Robert Niles reacts to two Pennsylvania court cases where judges have ordered newspapers to delete online archives of their news stories. And he doesn't take the newspapers' sides.]

This doomsday outlook for newspapers has been repeatedly reiterated in study after study. From polls showing dwindling circulations numbers to surveying the social media platforms that people now use for news, these studies have shown that traditional newspapers are no longer a thriving business model.

However, a new study was recently released by the Newspaper National Network that found the number of unique visitors to US newspaper websites is at an all-time high. From March to April 2010, the top 25 markets grew 10 percent reaching 83.7 million. These visitors generated a total of more than 2 billion page views in April, up 24 percent from 1.6 billion page views in January.

This study is a strong indicator that journalism isn’t dead. Nor is the quest for news diminishing as the newspaper industry has struggled. And while newspapers lay off journalists and fail to meet the needs of the public, it is now apparent that Americans are actively finding an alternative source to keep abreast on the news they care about.

Another interesting aspect of this study is that newspaper websites, collectively, were more popular than sites like CNN.com or MSNBC.com. This is a dramatic change of website usage of the past. No longer, are most Americans turning to national news sites before browsing their own local newspapers.

This is great news for every newsroom around the nation. In fact, this may be the silver lining for the survival of newspapers. By turning attention to optimizing their website, these newspapers may be able to save themselves from bankruptcy, laying off staff, and ultimately shutting their doors for good.

The bad news is newspapers have yet to figure out a way to generate enough circulation and advertising revenue from the Web to restore historic profit margins of almost 30 percent for publicly held companies, and as high as 50 percent for privately held.

Succeeding online is not as easy as some may think. And for those editors who have read the Newspaper National Network survey and are planning to bolster their website and in return charge their readers to offset the cost might be surprised at the results. Long Island’s daily paper spent roughly $4 million to redesign and re-launch its site, charging online readers $5 a week, or $260 a year, to get total access to news. In three months only 35 people signed up. Newsday’s free Web traffic nosedived, and advertising revenue decreased.

Industry analysts estimate equivalent Web advertising generates less than 10 percent the revenue of lost print advertising.

Joining the information revolution is a balancing act that both small and large newspapers must turn to to keep afloat. The Internet is not going away and neither are the problems with print newspapers.

Editors must face reality, put greater resources into their websites and adapt to new models for gathering news. By utilizing the Internet, newspapers have the opportunity to involve citizens, broaden their reader base and attract a network of loyal followers.

Jason Stverak is the President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, a leading journalism non-profit organization. The Franklin Center is dedicated to providing investigative reporters and non-profit organizations at the state and local level with training, expertise, and technical support. For more information on the Franklin Center please visit www.FranklinCenterHQ.org.

The rapid decay of traditional for-profit news media is not because the public is less hungry for news. Indeed, the Pew study shows that Americans are avidly interested in news. What has changed is that Americans for the most part aren’t willing to pay for news, mostly because they believe they can get all the news they want without paying for it.

So how will America fill the growing void in journalism as traditional for-profit media models fail?

The answer is in nonprofit journalism organizations dedicated to producing quality journalism for all news consumers.

But what is nonprofit journalism? What purpose does it serve?

As most people would agree, journalism is gathering, verifying and conveying news, descriptive material and opinion — increasingly in the 21^stcentury through a widening spectrum of media. A nonprofit organization operates to serve the public good without the shackle of debt and dividends.

Combining non and profit, two simple words, can create massive confusion.

The obvious answer is that nonprofit journalism is freed from the crippling constraints of business, but that definition is far too simple. Nonprofit journalism, which has grown exponentially over the last few years, has truly become the answer for an ailing news industry.

Online journalism organizations fill a void that traditional news media no longer can. One void is investigative journalism, the most effective weapon of the press, which has all but disappeared from many traditional newsrooms.

Many of the nonprofit journalism organizations serve as watchdogs on government, Wall Street and the media itself. Some serve as explanatory journalists, who have the space and time to elucidate the complex details of issues that newspapers and television cannot.

These nonprofit journalists are also showing the world that you don’t need to work at the New York Times or Washington Post to make headlines. Just recently, state-based watchdog groups demonstrated that online news websites can produce quality journalism, instead of the usual punditry. The effects of their reporting are being felt in every community around the nation.

It was a citizen reporter in New Mexico who broke the “Phantom Congressional District” story about the chaos in tracking American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. On November 16, 2009, Jim Scarantino, the investigative reporter for New Mexico’s Rio Grande Foundation, discovered that the recovery.gov Website listing federal stimulus money was riddled with ludicrous errors. A Watchdog in Texas recently discovered that the Department of Homeland Security lost nearly 1,000 computers in 2008. And it was a Watchdog in Nebraska who uncovered that their state’s educators were using taxpayer-funded credit cards to purchase a first class plane tickets to China for $11,000.

These are just a few of the many stories stemming from nonprofit journalism operations. Many of these organizations don’t have the staffing numbers that the traditional media may have, but they do have the capacity to spend time on a story, uncovering details that may get passed over in other media coverage.

Also, many traditional media outlets are using the news produced from nonprofit journalism organizations every day. Illinois Statehouse News (ISN) is a shining example of the success a nonprofit journalism organization can have when partnering with a for-profit media company. Since going live in December 2009, ISN’s daily content has been used by radio and television stations across the state, in addition to dozens of daily newspapers. A major statewide radio chain, which serves more than 100 radio stations across Illinois, outsourced most of its election coverage to ISN, which ensured ISN’s work was heard throughout the state and secured its place as a trusted source of real information.

The recent emergence of nonprofit journalism may lead some to believe that this is a new trend in a struggling industry. However, journalism nonprofits have been operating since the beginning of the newspaper age. In 1846, five New York newspapers united to share incoming reports from the Mexican-American War. That experiment in journalism became the Associated Press, which to this day is still a nonprofit cooperative.

The product of nonprofit journalism is often no different than the articles that emerge from for-profit news establishments like New York Times, ABC News, or CNN. In fact, in addition to Associated Press, there are many other nonprofit journalism organizations that have long histories of impacting the way news is conveyed, including National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System.

Across the United States, the need for nonprofit journalism organizations has never been as compelling. Founded amidst a media business and accountability crisis, these organizations dedicate themselves to investigating, exposing and pursuing corruption.

At a time when public corruption and malfeasance thrive, nonprofit journalism organizations are uniquely positioned to counterattack. They don’t have to worry about the bottom line being yanked out from under them, and they can make content available to all media for free without losing revenue.

They change the conversation in politics, media and for news consumers around the nation.

Although the distant future of journalism remains unclear, one thing for sure is that online nonprofit journalism will continue to serve as critical assets to readers of today and tomorrow.

Benjamin Franklin, a printer by trade, once said that “a newspaper in every home” was the “principle support of … morality” in civic life. The decline of American newspaper and television newsrooms might sadden Mr. Franklin, but the pursuit of greatness in journalism by nonprofits filling the void would without a doubt bring him pride and remind him of the citizen journalists who were essential to the founding of our nation.

Jason Stverak is the President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, a journalism non-profit organization that provides reporters and non-profit organizations at the state and local level with training, expertise, and technical support.