New “Digital Journalism” Venture in Baltimore Puts Traditional Media On Notice

Scott Broom

What does a local investigative journalism team do when their paper, the Baltimore Examiner, abruptly closes up shop?   

They re-incarnate themselves as The Investigative Voice, a web-based digital publication that has reporters collecting information, shooting photos and video, and posting online whenever anything new breaks. 

In six short weeks,  the team of Stephen Janis, Luke Broadwater and Regina Holmes have exposed the city’s pension board approving trips to the Caribbean during a fiscal crisis,  uncovered the roots of a chilling gang-related killing in the leafy suburbs and broke national news of the Secret Service getting one of its vans booted and towed by Baltimore’s finest. (The agents are  providing protection to former First Daughter Jenna Bush who, the team pointed out,  is not entitled to such security service.)  

Ivestigative Voice on the web

With no budget and little more than social networking promotion, the site has acheived 20,000 visits and 60,000 page views. Clearly there is a long way to go, but the team is looking for collaborators in Philadelphia, D. C.  and New York to broaden the market as quickly as possible.

They are the kind of “One Man Band” digital journalists evolving from both the print and broadcast sides of the business.  Free from the superstructure of corporate ownership, they are evolving more quickly than anyone imagined, and proving to traditional media dinosaurs and naysayers that quality competitive journalism is entirely possible under this new paradigm.

“I think its going to be viable.” said Janis Tuesday, though he admits the team is getting by on savings and help from relatives for the moment.  “Its basically the future, so one way or another we’re going to figure it out,” he said.

TV stations have already taken to copy-catting stories, and Janis now appears as a regular guest on one station, Fox-45 in Baltimore,  to promote his content. It’s an indication that these are the kind of digital journalists television stations hope to create in the future for their own operations.  A more extensive partnership with local television outlets is an idea the team is pursuing.

There is no question about the quality of reporting.  Janis’ credentials include winning the 2008 investigative reporting prize from the Maryland, DC Press Association. Editor Regina Holmes is a 20-year veteran of papers such as the Miami Herald and New York Post and an alum of the Columbia Journalism graduate program.    Broadwater has a fistfull of journalism awards as well.

They buzz-market their content by using  Twitter, Facebook and email blasts when a new story posts.  They are building web revenue in partnership with Advertising.com and by soliciting readers to become supporters.  They are even selling T-shirts.  The content is, and will be,  free, according to Janis

“We’ve got several plans to make this work,” Janis said.  “If this one doesn’t pan out, we’ll try another.”   Janis said team can go afford to go about a year before they really need The Investigative Voice to bring in more substantial income.

But the revenue bar is low. It’s an almost no-overhead operation.  The team has no office, and works in a “virtual” newsroom via laptops and cell phones.  “We meet at Regina’s apartment when we need to be face-to-face,” Janis said. Yet the product is high quality,  a bit edgy and certainly compelling.

My opinion: The Investigative Voice is a wake up call to traditional print reporters and broadcasters.   As outfits like The Investigative Voice become forces by stealing eyeballs in their markets, big media owners will figure out how to copy and leverage the power of such “One Man Band” digital reporting.   In the meantime, Janis, Broadwater and Holmes are showing the way.