What is link journalism?

Link journalism is linking to reporting or sources on the web to enhance, complement, or add more context to original reporting. Link journalism can also take the form of a standalone topical news aggregation, with links to interesting and important stories on a specific topic.

Links are the most powerful distribution mechanism on the web. Links determine what ranks high in search results. People navigate the web through links. Linking is essential to the practice of journalism on the web.

Here are some examples of link journalism:

“Links to What Were Reading” on NYTimes.com Ideas Blog
“Breaking on the Web” on Pro Publica

Here are some examples of link journalism powered by Publish2, a free web application for journalists, editors, and newsrooms.

“Links Used to Report This Blog Post” on Budget Travel blog
“What We’re Reading” on D3football.com
“Hot Off the Presses” on Triple Crankset
“The Fixture’s Reading” on The International Fixture

Here is Jay Rosen of PressThink on the “ethic of the link”:

What Is Publish2?

Publish2 provides free web tools for collaborative journalism.

Link Journalism

Bring the best of the web to your readers. Complement your reporting with links to relevant and interesting content.

Easily save and organize links to any content on the web.
Collaborate with journalists in your newsroom and across the web.
Publish links on your site and share on social networks.

Collaborative Reporting

Get tips, leads, and story ideas from the sources in your community – your readers – using our collaborative reporting tools.

Turn your readers into sources by embedding a Tip Form on any article or page.
Sort and save tips using a simple web interface. No more clogged e-mail inboxes or voicemail.
Follow up with sources to dig deeper. Credit readers. Drive engagement.

News organizations using Publish2.