A Stab at Editorial Transparency

The Guardian’s new blog, Newsdesk Live, looks like something worth keeping a half-eye on — especially on days when the paper’s bash-Israel coverage gets extra prominence.

I’ll credit the paper for taking a stab at editorial transparency. In this blog, the paper’s editors explain the thought process behind the way they cover each day’s big stories, and it’s updated over the course of the day.

Rather than rounding up already existing content (like the NYT’s The Lede) or cheerleading their own work (as in the Beeb’s The Editors blog), I think The Guardian is on to something new with Newsdesk Live’s concept.

I do wonder, though, if the editors will come to regret soliciting reader submissions. Strikes me as an open-invitation to everyone with a pet cause to try gaming the system. We’ll see how it unfolds.