morph: Citizens journalism, Santa Fe style

morph: Citizens journalism, Santa Fe style Stefan Dill, web editor of the Santa Fe New Mexican, on their progress at town square website:

"One of our nicest pieces of participatory work has been “Mothers Uncensored."

"It developed as a result of a story in the print edition on a local store putting wrappers on an issue of "Mothering" magazine, the cover of which featured a photo of a mother breastfeeding her baby. The outpouring of protests via the commenting system that a store would cover up something so natural was huge, and may have had a part to play in the store reversing its decision. The VP of the company announced the reversal on the forum, in fact.

"To give the readers another medium of voice, I put out a call for all moms to send us photos, of whatever comfort level they wished. What was to be a simple photo gallery blossomed into some 25 or 30 submissions from around the country and around the world, many who shared very personal and detailed stories of breastfeeding difficulties and triumphs. Other moms who’ve run across the section feel it to be a great source of empathy and support.

"All in all, it’s been a slow, steady, intense building of community involvement - one we're proud of, and looking forward to doing more. It's only the beginning!"

This is really encouraging work.