Personally I can't see the mailing list being a big interest for folks. People don't really see Wikinews for that function now, as it doesn't generate enough original content of broad appeal to be useful in that sense.

I suppose this brings up the bigger discussion of what Wikinews strengths are and what it should promote itself to be. A few weeks ago I talked with Mike Halterman on the Wikipedia Weekly podcast about this. See:
http://wikipediaweekly.org/2008/04/03/episode-44stable-perversions/

My view is that Wikinews real strengths are not to compete with Wikipedia's already masterful role of being the "running log" or "working draft of history" but instead, Wikinews should focus on what it is good at:

- Distributed and localized talent
-- Covering one issue across different locales - protests, food prices, elections, etc.
- First-hand, verifiable observation
-- Interviews with individuals
-- Event coverage
- Multimedia
-- Spot news and event photography
-- Videography
-- Audio interviews or produced podcasts

In this sense Mike and I talked about Wikinews being the actual accepted place for "original research" to be done in the Wikimedia community. A transcribed interview with person X, with audio clips as authentication, can absolutely be a valuable cite-able reference in a Wikipedia article about person X.

Wikinews has been trying to find its way. Rather than Wikinews trying replicate every "news" function that exists in the marketplace, Wikinews could make a bigger impact by emphasizing its strengths. And Mike's news is encouraging. According to him, PR agents perk up and give you attention if you say Wikinews is the "reporting arm of Wikipedia," even if it's not formally the tag line of Wikinews.

Food for thought.

-Andrew
User:Fuzheado


On Thu, Apr 17, 2008 at 11:24 AM, Jason Safoutin <jason.safoutin@wikinewsie.org> wrote:
Mailing list...someone would sign up to receive special exclusive, big
breaking news or original reporting. Interested parties would be
agencies or sites or people who want top republish our articles. CNN
sends out a breaking news e-mail when there is a big story.

Jason

bawolff wrote:
> As in RSS feed as a mailing list type thing? (every time we publish
> something it gets sent. Like the daily article list at 'pedia or daily
> image at commons)?
>
> -bawolff
>
> On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 4:17 PM, <dodge.story@wikinewsie.org
> <mailto:dodge.story@wikinewsie.org>> wrote:
>
>     I was reffering to having a list for Wikinews to send out the
>     latest breaking news, like Jason said. For example, if we broke a
>     big story, something like the Benoit story, someone could send out
>     a message to interested parties. Only certain people (i.e. our
>     accredidated reporters) would be allowed to send FROM that
>     address, but anyone can subscribe.
>
>     Dodge S.
>
>
>     ----
>     Dodge Story
>     Journalist, Wikinews
>     http://www.wikinews.org
>
>     DISCLAIMER:
>     I do not represent the Wikimedia Foundation in any way shape or
>     form. I have been accredited by the Wikinews community.
>
>         -------- Original Message --------
>         Subject: Re: [Wikinews-l] "Breaking News" mailing list
>         From: "Brian McNeil" <brian.mcneil@wikinewsie.org
>         <mailto:brian.mcneil@wikinewsie.org>>
>         Date: Wed, April 16, 2008 2:46 pm
>         To: "'Wikinews mailing list'" <wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia
>         <mailto:wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia>.org>
>
>         The EFF already has scoop on their mailing list.
>
>
>         -----Original Message-----
>         *From:* wikinews-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org
>         <mailto:wikinews-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org>
>         [mailto:wikinews-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org] *On Behalf Of
>         *dodge.story@wikinewsie.org <mailto:dodge.story@wikinewsie.org>
>         *Sent:* 16 April 2008 20:37
>         *To:* wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>         <mailto:wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia.org>
>         *Subject:* [Wikinews-l] "Breaking News" mailing list
>
>
>
>         Do you think it would be appropriate for Wikinews to have a
>         "breaking news" mailing list that people could subscribe to?
>         For example, CNN has a list, MSNBC, and the Electronic
>         Frontier Foundation. Perhaps it could be:
>
>         breaking-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>         <mailto:breaking-l@lists.wikimedia.org>
>
>         breaking-news-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>         <mailto:breaking-news-l@lists.wikimedia.org>
>
>         wikinews-breaking-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>         <mailto:wikinews-breaking-l@lists.wikimedia.org>
>
>         ----
>         Dodge Story
>         Journalist, Wikinews
>         http://www.wikinews.org
>
>         DISCLAIMER:
>         I do not represent the Wikimedia Foundation in any way shape
>         or form. I have been accredited by the Wikinews community.
>
>         ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>         _______________________________________________
>         Wikinews-l mailing list
>         Wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia.org <#1195951c82b03876_Compose>
>         https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikinews-l
>
>
>     _______________________________________________
>     Wikinews-l mailing list
>     Wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia.org <mailto:Wikinews-l@lists.wikimedia.org>
>     https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikinews-l
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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