Court project testing social-media reporting shuts down as funds evaporate
The first phase of a project to test reporting via social media in a Massachusetts courtroom has ended because of a lack of funding.
The project, called OpenCourt, provided live streaming of court proceedings and WiFi access for reporters to blog and tweet from a designated part of the courtroom in Quincy District Court. The video stream has been shut down and the project has been moved out of the court, according to Robert Ambrogi’s Law Sites.
The Knight News Challenge funded the first year of the project with a $250,000 grant, while public radio station WBUR provided funding for the second year. The money ran out in November.
John Davidow, the executive editor of new media at WBUR, told Law Sites that the project has entered a new phase. A report on the project’s lessons will be prepared in conjunction with the CyberLaw Clinic at Harvard’s Berkman Center. It will be published later this year in the National Law Journal.
Prior coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Mass. Court Will Be Testing Ground for Best Blogging Practices”
