Not that I’m a threat to any established Louisiana newspapers, but I can say I hold my own in reporting North Central Louisiana local government. I have broken several stories no one else would touch, and have had a part in getting several local politicians put out of commission.
http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/
Not state or national stuff, to be sure, but my credibility level is pretty high among my readership. County commissions, city councils, school boards, is what I report on. As I grow, I will eventually do some statewide stuff, which translates into clout when senate and congressional races come along.
Can’t be anonymous - you have to be out front and willing to take the abuse for stepping on toes. Not everyone can do this, but I’m retired, financially independent, and proof against economic retaliation.
Finally, you have to PUBLISH!! Something, anything just about every day. A flurry of posts for a couple of weeks, and then nothing for a week or two, then another flurry of stories will not work. Folks have to get used to seeing something new on your blog and make a habit of checking every day to see what you have.
My problem is that I’m more of an investigator than a journalist. I can go deeper in my investigating than journalists can because I *don’t* have the deadlines and daily demands that they have. That also means that I don’t have to say anything if I don’t have something worth saying, or if it’s critical for me to keep quiet about some things I know. Hopefully that means that people know it’s worth taking the time to read because there is new, vetted information and not just background noise.
But the cost of that is that I don’t necessarily have people checking regularly. And I don’t have a large audience. Posting here at FR is my best chance at having people see the evidence I’ve got, and that’s where I put a lot of my energy. It’s not really me that I want anybody to pay attention to, but the actual evidence. That’s why I’ve offered my information/evidence to any journalist who is willing to take it and run with it. But nobody will.