| One of the ideas that we've had here at The Progressive Connection is to set up a stringer system for reporting about local political events. Since we can't be everywhere and not everyone wants his or her identity to be made public, we are going to institute a method whereby our readers can submit posts anonymously about meetings, speeches, fundraisers or other special events that they've attended. These essays can be forwarded to us, and we will publish them under the byline Stringer.
In journalism, a stringer is a freelance journalist, who is paid for each piece of published or broadcast work, rather than receiving a regular salary. They are heavily relied upon by most television news organizations. They mostly specialize in breaking news. In American newspapers the word carries a connotation of no-nonsense professionalism as compared to "freelancer," a term more likely to be used by newcomers to the business. The etymology of the word is uncertain. Newspapers once paid stringers per inch of printed text they generated, and one theory says the length of this text was measured against a string. More likely is the theory given in the Oxford English Dictionary: that a stringer is a person who strings words together.
The only difference here is that you won't get paid for your work. But you can share your insights about a meeting, what the speakers had to say, how the audience responded — anything that you think others who weren't able to be there would find interesting, useful, or even downright inspirational.
So if you're going to attend an event and want to write about it, shoot us an email at Progressive@TheProgressiveConnection.com and let us know that you're planning to report the goings-on. If you're uncertain about posting on a blog, want a little help with the formatting, or even a little editorial help, just let us know. Once we get your material, we will keep your identity confidential, and we'll post your story under the name Stringer so you can fearlessly share your knowledge with the rest of the world. |
