OSM, a new online venture designed to bring together top online writers, journalists and commentators under a single umbrella, officially debuted at a New York City launch on Wednesday. Over 70 Web journalists, including Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds and David Corn, Washington editor of the Nation magazine, have agreed to participate in OSM � short for Open Source Media.
OSM will link to individual blog postings and highlight the best contributions, chosen by OSM editors, in a special section. Bloggers will be paid undisclosed sums based on traffic they generate. The ad-supported OSM site will also carry news feeds from Newstex, which in turn receives stories from the Associated Press, Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, and other traditional media organisations.
"Our most important goal is openness via the free and respectful exchange of ideas expressed through citizen journalists, coupled with a dedication to honesty and the truth," said co-founder, screenwriter and blogger Roger L Simon. "When we talk about citizen journalism, we mean journalism not created by elites, as in the 'top-down' traditional media, but from the 'bottom-up,' by citizens using their observations and knowledge, informed by a desire to speak honestly. Citizen journalism at its best means the pursuit of the truth above all things, above partisanship or the financial interests of the medium publishing it."
OSM joins a rapidly growing group of blogcentric networks headed by high-profile online publishers: Nick Denton's Gawker media, which has just announced a syndication deal with Yahoo; Jason Calacanis' Weblogs Inc, recently acquired by AOL; and John Battelle's forthcoming Federated Media network.
OSM, which was founded last year as Pajamas Media, currently features content from more than 70 bloggers worldwide, primarily focused on political and current events. However, the goal is to expand its scope to eventually include all forms of coverage, from local news to pop culture to sports, fashion, food, hobbies and more.
According to a January 2005 report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, blog readership increased by nearly 60 per cent in 2004 to approximately 27 per cent of all Internet users. More recently, analysis by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) found that the average weekday circulation of US newspapers is continuing to decline, falling 2.6 per cent over the six month-period ending in September 2005. "But, while cognisant of these trends, OSM's vision remains one of evolution and cooperation," a statement issued by OSM said.
Many details of OSM remain unsettled. For example, OSM wants to create a mechanism for citizen journalists, including bloggers, to submit original news during natural disasters, civil unrest and other newsworthy events. Simon said organisers still have to come up with ways to check submissions for accuracy.
Initially, OSM will create blog-like discussion panels surrounding major news events, with three or four bloggers and non-blogging experts chosen to contribute. Although Simon and co-founder Charles Johnson are often described as conservative, Simon said the site will transcend labels and include bloggers of all political leanings. "We're deliberately trying to do something new by affiliating blog and mainstream people," he said.
OSM has already raised $3.5 million from venture capitalists, and has ambitions of reinventing blog advertising. "Advertising on blogs was a work-intensive system," Simon told ClickZ. "There were no corporate ads because it was too time-consuming." He said Nielsen and iPro have just been hired by the company, and their stats will be posted on OSM's site. "We're looking at how blog ads should look," Simon said, promising OSM will carry no "stupid" rich media ads "With cockroaches crawling on the page. Readers are bothered by it."
Advising the company and its bloggers is an OSM editorial board. In October, OSM had revealed that its editorial board members and contributors would include "Instapundit" Glenn Reynolds, one of the world's most-read bloggers; CNBC's Larry Kudlow, blogger and host of "Kudlow & Company"; Michael Barone, blogger and senior writer, US News & World Report; David Corn, blogger, columnist and Washington editor for the Nation; and Claudia Rosett, a prize-winning journalist and blogger central to breaking the United Nations' "Oil for Food" controversy.
Other well-known editorial board members include:
- Tammy Bruce, an author, former president of the National Organisation for Women's Los Angeles chapter, host of "The Tammy Bruce Show," flag-shipped at KABC-AM (Los Angeles) and heard on more than 160 affiliates, and the personality behind www.tammybruce.com
- John Podhoretz, a New York Post columnist, Fox News contributor, and blogger for the National Review Online's "The Corner"
- Richard Fernandez, a Sydney, Australia-based software developer and author of the widely-read "Belmont Club" blog
- Jane Hall, an assistant professor at American University's School of Communication and weekly panelist of Fox News Watch
- Michael Ledeen, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and expert on US foreign policy
- Clifford D May, a veteran news reporter, foreign correspondent and editor at the New York Times, and currently president of the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, a policy institute focusing on terrorism
- Tim Blair, an Australia-based blogging pioneer and author of "Tim Blair"
- Marc Cooper, an award-winning author, journalist, and contributor for the the Nation, and author of "Marc Cooper"
- Mark Steyn, a noted, internationally syndicated journalist covering global politics and current affairs
- Adam Bellow, a widely-respected Random House editor and son of Nobel Prize-winner Saul Bellow
