The UpTake
The UpTake is a Minnesota-based citizen journalist organization. It was founded in July 2007 and has provided online news coverage on a low budget since.
Because of its role as a provider of citizen journalism, The UpTake claims it is a not-for-profit organization. As such, many of its journalists have to rely on technology, such as cell phone cameras, technically outclassed by professional equipment. This financial disadvantage has spurred The UpTake to develop innovative methods of low-cost information gathering and reporting, such as live broadcasting from cell phone camera feeds.
The UpTake is presently led by board chair Chris Dykstra, executive producer Michael McIntee, and executive director Jason Barnett. Its staff includes many "everyday people" working as citizen journalists, and the "Contact Us" page on TheUpTake.org encourages anyone interested in working with The UpTake to contact McIntee or Barnett.
2008 Minnesota Senate election
The UpTake's profile increased dramatically during the disputed 2008 U.S. Senate election in Minnesota, the home state of The UpTake. The UpTake provided full coverage of the recount process, winning accolades and citations from fellow news blogs FiveThirtyEight.com and MinnPost.com[1] and local Minnesota news outlets such as the Minnesota Independent.[2] On January 5, 2009, when the final batch of absentee ballots in the recount were opened, checked, sorted, and counted, The UpTake broadcast the entire process live via streaming video on TheUpTake.org. Its initial count for DFL candidate Al Franken's lead after the absentee ballots were sorted aloud was 223; the number appeared on breaking reports on other websites, including FiveThirtyEight.com,[3] until an election official announced that Franken's unofficial lead was actually 225.
Recognition
The Center for Public Integrity listed The UpTake as one of its "Top Ten Websites from 2008".[4] In a tongue-in-cheek reference to an infamous ballot challenge by Republican candidate Norm Coleman's campaign, the list identified The UpTake as:
A nonprofit journalism site that has kept political junkies across the world abreast of every minute of the five-person Minnesota recount committee’s deliberations about Franken, Coleman, and Lizard People.
References
- ^ Political Junkies Flock to Live Streaming of Senate Recount Proceedings
- ^ GOP's attacks on The UpTake: Another attempt to smear the process that may deal Coleman defeat?
- ^ http://digg.com/politics/Franken_Leaps_to_lead_of_223_on_Strength_of_Absentee_Ballots
- ^ The Center for Public Integrity PaperTrail Blog - Our Top Ten Websites for 2008