An example of a self-motivated journalist

One of our reporters, Erin Smith, in Cambridge, Mass., has produced a three-part series about local police officers. Part one went up today.

It’s interesting to me to read some of the responses to my MBO offer about reporters these days being too overworked to learn this new fangled online stuff, or what a miserly offer my $100 is for all that work … and here’s Erin, quite on her own, on a small-paper staff, going out and producing a three-part series, with a self-shot and self-edited video.

Internal motivation is what makes great journalism careers, so I’m sure Erin has a bright future.

Here’s the video. And I think it’s worth noting that it was shot with a Casio.

I love the community journalism aspect to this package — getting personal with the local police officers, talking about what they deal with everyday, and getting their own names, faces and voices out there for the community … “Behind the Badge” is an appropriate title for the video.