Strangers and Bedfellows

Departing from the norm, it looks like a large traditional journalism organization is trying to work WITH citizen journalists.

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) is set to launch its Citizen Journalism Academies (CJA). These one-day workshops will train lay people to practice journalism "accurately, ethically and fairly." The goal of the program is to help participants "understand how responsible practices could increase their reach and help them have strong journalistic reputations within their communities and around the world," according to SPJ.

The first workshop will be in Chicago on May 17, where registrants will tackle topics on freedom of information, ethics, media law and reporting. Chi Town Daily News (http://www.chitowndailynews.org/), a nonprofit citizen news site covering Chicago, will assist with the training. Registration is $25. Future workshops are slated for Greensboro, N.C. and Los Angeles.

For more information on the CJAs: http://spj.org/cja.asp