HealthNewsReview.org
U-Minnesota School of Journalism & Mass Comm.
 A
Web site critiquing and rating health news from 50 mainstream
media outlets to help readers understand what they are reading while
also
encouraging the media to be more accurate and complete
with its coverage. Launched by a professor and health journalist, this
site rates stories
on a five-star scale based on accuracy, balance and completeness.
Global
Voices Online
Global
Voices, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard
 A
comprehensive aggregator of international blogs and news indexed by country
and topic, run by a core of 15 international, multilingual bloggers who
select, explain and translate important conversations and citizen reporting
in regions outside of North America and Western Europe. Another 80 contributing
bloggers post daily features on what is important to bloggers in their
countries. Since its launch last year, the site has formally partnered
with Reuters.com.
Transparent
Newsroom
SpokesmanReview.com
 A
bold initiative by the Spokane Spokesman-Review to lift the veil on the
newsgathering and publishing process by Webcasting daily
news meetings, offering editor
blogs to explain news of the day, and online chats where readers
can criticize news coverage or pose questions. The newspaper’s
Web site also posts raw documents, such as interview transcripts and
reporter notes on major stories.
IBISEYE.com
Sarasota
Herald-Tribune
 A
risk-estimator Web site that tracks Atlantic Ocean tropical storm and
hurricane activity, and helps users assess at-risk buildings and report
actual damage. The database was created from public records of 8 million
properties in the state. Visitors can chart a storm's path, make damage
predictions and view 155 years' worth of hurricane paths and damage on
an interactive map.
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U.S.
Congress Votes Database
WashingtonPost.com
 This
database scrapes several other sources of information to
enable users to search every recorded House and Senate
vote since January 1991 by a variety of descriptors. Users
can search by year, legislator, state or party, and can
see who missed the most votes. "Key votes" are
identified and simple descriptions are given. An interactive
map displays this year's congressional and gubernatorial
races. The map provides candidate profiles, background
information, district demographics and links to campaign
finance records.
Bakersfield
Californian
Social Media Platform
The
Bakersfield Californian  The
Bakersfield Californian has created and launched Bakomatic,
a participatory media platform that takes Myspace.com concepts
and applies them locally. The platform gives people an
avenue for self-expression and networking by allowing them
to create profiles, keep a Friends list and submit stories,
photos and events for publication. Available on the flagship
news site, Bakersfield.com;
citizen media sites The
Northwest Voice, The
Southwest Voice and the Tehachapi
News; Spanglish site Mas;
area newcomer site NewtoBakersfield.com;
and music, marketing and young people site Bakotopia.com.
Twin
Cities Daily Planet
Twin
Cities Media Alliance  This
community news Web site aggregates the best work of more
than 35 local community news organizations covering a wide
array of cultures and communities in Minneapolis and St.
Paul. Independent citizen journalists also write articles
for the site, which is updated daily. The effort fills
a gap in mainstream reporting, gives voices to community
members, allows local media to share stories and resources
and encourages citizen journalism.
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