We are very pleased to present our interview with outstanding Margo Kingston and her citizen journalism website No Fibs.
Q: What motivated you to create No Fibs?
A: After seven years retirement from journalism, I felt compelled to comment on a political story in late November 2012, and did it through Twitter and an opinion piece published by an independent media website. Tony Yegles, who had participated in my last collaborative journalism project, the Sydney Morning Herald’s Webdiary, built a website to archive the topic. Someone gave me an ipad, and others expressed the wish that I have another go at journalism. I left journalism before Twitter, and was excited by its possibilities for collaborative journalism. I conceived No Fibs as a Twitter-based website, using Twitter handles and hashtags in its headlines. The first site was called Australians for Honest Politics
My reports on returning to journalism:
30 November, 2012
A question of character?
11 December, 2012
Margo Kingston: My welcome to Twitter
Interview, 23 February, 2013
Building Bridges
1 March, 2013
Manifesto for @NoFibs
Q: How does it work?
A: Before the September 2013 election, I edited the site, using Twitter to ask for contributions, and investigated underdone stories using citizen journalists as collaborators. Tony managed the site and published posts. We the received a grant from Macquarie University which allowed us to work full time for six months, focusing on citizen journalist seat reports for the federal election. We could not handle the volume of work and were saved by an old friend, Julie Lambert, who had just been made redundant as AAP’s chief sub editor. She volunteered to sub-edit the citizen journalists, improving quality and directly helping citizen journalists improve their work.
After the election I brooded over whether to continue in journalism or finish my nursing degree, which I’d already deferred in 2013. My profound attachment to Webdiary saw me nearly exhaust my financial resources when I took her independent in mid 2005, and resulted in my forced retirement due to a physical and emotional breakdown.
So I decided that I would not attach to No Fibs. I felt that while it had energy it would survive and develop, and when it lost it energy it would fold. I felt that its best chance for innovation and delight was for it to be wholly voluntary - everyone, including me, would work for No Fibs because they wanted to.
Three other key players shape the site. Tony is the geek. Michael Burge, a professional sub editor, is chief-sub, and Wayne Jansson is chief reporter. Several columnists upload their own work and also keep an eye on the site, as do several proofers. It is understood that the buck stops with me; my policy is to allow people I trust to make calls on content, in the knowledge they will check with me if they sense an issue of ethics, legals or some other matter I need to be consulted on.
I have crowd-funding a pro journalist, Peter Clarke, to investigate an ABC matter, and several FOI requests.
Q: What are No Fibs’ current projects within No Fibs?
A: No Fibs’ big project last year was our citizen journalist seat reports for the federal election. After the election, I funded a pilot project by a professional journalist, Stephanie Dale, who edited citizen journalist reports on community protests against Coal Seam Gas Mining. No Fibs and participated in a social media campaign to save Australia’s last fruit processing company SPC, and delivered Australia’s most comprehensive reporting of a social media-based protest against the current government called #MarchinMarch. This year I have focused on live-tweeting civil disobedience at Australia’s first blockade of a coal mine, the #leardblockade.
No Fibs has become a site documenting political activism, written by professionals collaborating with citizens, and by citizens with assistance from pros in accordance with the Media Alliance code of ethics. It also gives me a platform to promote my ambition for vigorous public debate on media regulation, the question of what a journalist is, and the ethics of our practice.
Reports:
19 March, 2013
Journalist @margaretsimons stands up to Oz intimidations, speaks out on media reform
27 March, 2013
Can the cross bench deliver citizens accountability from newspapers?
9 April, 2013
Paddy Manning pays the whistleblowers price
23 May, 2013
The Press Gallery contemplates reform: join the conversation
7 June, 2013
@NoFibs new directions
15 June, 2013
Immersion journalism for democracy
21 June, 2013
ABC loses plot on ethics and news : citizen journos shine
4 August, 2013
Ready to go on @NoFibs citizen journo seat reports
7 October, 2013
New No Fibs citizen journalism project: The CSG social movement
2 December, 2013
Reporting Indi: A reflection by Margo Kingston
27 February, 2014
Press Council upholds @margokingston1 complaint against @dailytelegraph on #Ashby
13 April, 2004
Getting #leardblockade arrested, WTF is journalism and who’s the extremist: @margokingston1 interview with @dailytelegraph
29 April, 2014
Reporting grassroots green shoots when hope in establishment politics dies
20 May, 2014 Interview: Off the rails with Margo Kingston
5 August, 2014
Time for @mediaalliance to take charge of secret tapes ethics debate
Q: As a former journalist, you can draw a real parallel between traditional and citizen journalism. How do you see these two types of journalism?
A: To me journalism is a state of mind and ethical practice is its underpinning. I don’t see a difference between citizen and professional journalists except in experience and skills. I see myself as a current journalist!
Q: According to you, can citizen journalists offer quality content and is their reporting credible enough?
A: Yes and, sometimes, yes!
Q: Are citizens interested in citizen journalism training and what do you expect from them?
A: Yes. Stephanie Dale created training materials as part of her brief to edit our CSG reports. During the election I created a Facebook group for our citizen journos so they could ask questions and discuss issues as they arose. It would be great to find a volunteer to look after the training materials resources of the site, and be available to help novice citizen journalists.
Q: What do you think of the media in Australia?
A: Mainstream media is in existential crisis. New media is booming. All is fluid, dynamic, ever-changing. I’m interested in how new and old media can collaborate to the benefit of all. I can’t see a bright future for Australia’s democracy without a strong, ethical mainstream media presence.
Q: No Fibs plans for the future?
A: To see where the energy takes it.
I’ve begun a PhD in collaborative political journalism, and hope Tweeps will collaborate with me.
Q: How do you see the future of citizen journalism?
A: Very, very bright.