OK, so that might be placing a little too much weight on the unarguably innovative concept. But still, from where we’re looking as a Manchester based, digital-specialising PR firm there’s little to deny that this latest idea to be trialled by one of the UK’s most revered nationals has plenty of potential.
The Guardian’s Open Newslist page looks to put the news agenda into the hands of the paper’s readers, for the first time in the history of publishing. Head to the webpage, and you’ll find a host of stories ranging from UK and international news to sport, business and economics.
The only difference is these haven’t been written yet. They’re articles in the earliest stages of being, straight from the editors’ desks, meaning we the consumers are now privy to what the title’s journalists are working on. Perhaps most importantly though, we’re invited to comment, and suggest lines of inquiry via good old social media.
Simply make your 140 character statement via Twitter, including #opennews, and those at the top of institutions like G2, in addition to the standard paper (and its many supplements) can see exactly what you think about their plans. Of course there’s no guarantee they will listen to your messages, and embargoed stories, as with big, rival-beating exclusives won’t feature on the news summary panels.
But still, this is as close to true plurality as any magazine, newspaper or website has come yet, and marks a welcome gesture of transparency by a British press currently suffering from serious public distrust. And, given the fact we also get to see tweets written about the stories-in-progress by individual editors, it should also go someway to dissipating the air of mystery surrounding news-based media, and remind the increasingly demanding everyman that it is just a job, and those in charge are only human.