New media: OpenFile.ca

These are exciting times.

Just over a year ago, The Mark News launched in beta.  The Mark, an online opinion journal, provides a forum for lots of voices to contribute to the public debate.  In the same vein as OpenParliament.ca and Datadotgc.ca it's a great example of how the web has enabled greater citizen engagement in the Canadian democracy.

Yesterday saw another example, the launch of OpenFile.ca.  Open File is "a collaborative local news site [where] stories are suggested by readers, selected by editors and investigated by professional journalists."  Anyone can contribute by pitching story ideas, helping out with existing files or by posting comments and ideas.  While it's focused on Toronto for the time being, it's set its sights on expansion.

If you're interested in knowing more about their philosophy, operations and plans, I'd highly recommend this piece from the Nieman Lab.  Or better still, visit their site!  Among others, there's a nice piece on how one Toronto community is handling the prospect of G20 protests in their backyard, and another by Kevin Newman on his decision to leave his post as Global's news anchor, complete with his recollection of the first time he used the internet in a newsroom.