Online Democracy (www.onlinedemocracy.ca)
was created as a learning tool for students in the Online Publishing
and Computer-Assisted Reporting program in Fall 2000.
Students developed a site
for municipal voters in Belleville, aimed at helping them participate
in the local elections. The site provided a focus for project-based
learning, giving students a concrete application of skills, as well
as a platform to experiment with new technology. Its main journalistic
goal was to explore the emerging principles of e-journalism in the context
of civic or public journalism.
The program sought private
sector partners, engaging assistance from the Belleville Intelligencer
and Apple Canada. Students began posting the first week of classes in
September, using only the most basic skills. But within a few weeks,
the site was filled with voting information, community resources, candidate
profiles and other static information. This was accompanied by a news
service, which included copy from the campus newspaper, The Pioneer,
and the Intel.
A major highlight of the
project was a live mayoralty debate held in Alumni Hall that was broadcast
across the Internet using streaming technology. The debate format was
unique because the event was interactive, allowing the public to ask
questions in person and online. About 165 citizens attended the event
and 320 watched on computers from home. Even more, listened to the broadcast
on the campus radio station, CJLX, and submitted questions via the Internet.
An estimated audience of
1,500 people were involved. More than 12,000 times the web site was
accessed on that night as viewers tried to get on or become involved.
During the election an average of 10,000 hits per week with an average
stay of about 15 minutes, viewing multiple pages. On election night,
the site provided up-to-the-minute poll results as part of a partnership
with the chief returning officer for Belleville. This was combined with
breaking coverage to provide competitive news service throughout the
evening.
The project ended on a strong
note with the interactive news pages that included text, photography,
audio and video, along with related linked information.
The site was hugely successful
by any standard.
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