News Certified Exchange: a trusted source database
Posted on | March 21, 2011 | 2 Comments
By Susan Older, Founder,
Displaced Journalists
When journalists do their jobs – reporting, writing, editing, and shooting still or video images – they tend to turn to trustworthy sources among their own contacts or other well-known sources trusted by their colleagues.
That habit saves time, but it skews our coverage toward established viewpoints, when we all know that, in most cases, fresh perspectives would make for more balanced, interesting stories.
News Certified Exchange (NCE), an initiative launched in 2009 by veteran journalists, is offering an alternative – an online service free to independent or newsroom-based journalists, featuring an array of
Kathryn McManus
certified interview-ready sources in more than 1,000 specialty areas. Journalists pay nothing to use the service, which provides a page for each expert source profiling them in video, describing their background and listing their credentials and contact information. Experts update their keyword tags and story pitches to maintain ongoing relevance to the news cycle.
The idea sparked in 2008 when NCE CEO Kathryn McManus was the head of CNN Japan. “As a journalist, I would receive hundreds of solicitations a day from organizations highlighting story ideas and experts that I would promptly delete,” says McManus. “Then when I needed someone, I would scramble, trying to find ‘interview-ready’ experts (not generalists) who could comment. The solution seemed so easy: a database of certified ‘interview-ready’ experts that the media can draw from when the need arises.”
McManus brought in another seasoned journalist as co-founder: Jerry Krieg, who had been CNN’s Senior Executive Producer. Together they reached out to journalists globally. The response was overwhelming. Krieg says journalist after journalist told him, “I wish this had been built yesterday. It would have made my life much easier.” Then NCE asked the opinions of a wide variety of communications directors and business leaders to get their response. They were overwhelmingly in favor of the idea.
Based on the feedback they received from journalist colleagues, NCE created 23 “interview-ready” standards of certification.
What sets NCE apart from other source databases is the fact that veteran journalists screen potential sources for genuine professional expertise and media readiness. NCE turns away non-experts and experts who are not “interview-ready.” Certification falls into three categories: print, TV and radio. All three categories play into the Web, so it doesn’t have its own category. There are icons on each profile indicating a particular source’s certification status.
NCE also has an editorial board made up of heavy hitting journalists to make sure that its journalistic standards are maintained.
NCE has gained the trust of journalists, communications experts and industry leaders. NCE has hundreds upon hundreds of experts, and NCE experts are quoted daily in the news. Journalists from more than 250 news organizations tap into NCE’s database. These include Bloomberg, The New York Times, NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, USA Today, Reuters, Fortune, Vanity Fair, AP and The Wall Street Journal.
Experts can attend one of NCE’s “Influencing the Headlines” (ITH) seminar events for $500. Attendance includes an executive media skills workshop (taught by broadcast journalists), lunch and a panel discussion with leaders of industry and media. There is an additional fee of $2,000 for ITH participants who wish to become certified and join the NCE database. The next event will be in Chicago April 8 at Medill, Northwestern University’s School of Journalism.
For non-ITH participants, the cost is $4,000.00 and includes a customized media skills session with a veteran journalist, an HD web cam for remote broadcast and positioning on NewsCertified Exchange for three years.
What’s in it for the experts? Exposure. Being on NCE furthers their career goals and shines a spotlight on them as individuals, but also on their companies, agencies or organizations. Experts, thus far, include authors, former statesmen, top medical and legal specialists and other thought leaders from around the world.
On the Exchange, journalists can decide for themselves whether someone is a good interview candidate. Experts’ online profiles feature video clips, professional experience and background information, social media links, and contact information. This is an enormous time-saver for busy journalists looking for fresh viewpoints. If an expert is used, NCE does not receive any kickback.
Journalists who register can log onto the site see a scroll bar of top stories. There is a featured “story pitch” – intended to be something that would be of interest to many reporters and editors. There is a search field for finding experts. For example, if you type in “nuclear” you will get at least three pages of experts you might not have known about otherwise. Journalists can also use the drop-down menu of areas of expertise for fast and easy identification of sources. Additionally journalists and other visitors to the NCE site can search a database of expert-generated story ideas that offer unique perspectives and fit into the news cycle.
Website analytics document that journalists in 54 countries have searched the NCE database. They are experiencing explosive growth with global intake daily.
Editor’s note: I attended NCE’s “In the Headlines” event in New York last month to get an idea of whether it would help people in the Displaced Journalists community. I was impressed. It’s a fantastic resource. Go to the site and register (no fee). You’ll see what I mean. In the interest of full disclosure: After NCE CEO Kathryn McManus and I met, she asked if I would be interested in serving as an expert in the journalism arena. One thing I have going for me: I am passionate about preserving and reinventing our profession. I’m going to try it, but I’ve never been a broadcast journalist, so I’m really counting on their coaching to make me “interview-ready.” Wish me luck! — Susan Older
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Welcome to Our Community
Is there life – or work – after newspapers? A lot of us are in the process of finding out. Because it’s generally a somewhat lonely endeavor, it struck me, in January 2010, that it might be comforting – and possibly very productive – to go through it together.
Displaced Journalists is a community – our community – where we find common ground, where we can begin to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get on with our lives and livelihoods. [more]
March 22nd, 2011 @ 3:28 PM
Susan,
Thanks so much for this…I’m passing it along to students and journalist friends alike.
Cheers,
Fara
March 23rd, 2011 @ 6:04 AM
[...] DisplacedJournalists.com News Certified Exchange — launched by veteran journalists in 2009 — screens potential sources for genuine professional expertise and media readiness, and rejects non-experts and experts who aren’t “interview-ready.” The service is free. [...]