Cashmere World site

File this in the efforts-at-new-news-media directory . . .

Around the Northwest, there are several web sites aimed at becoming news web sites for local communities that once but no longer have print newspapers. Orting, Washington and Shoshone, Idaho are two that come to mind.

These have been sprouted by local people, sometimes those displaced by the closing of the local paper. But now comes one backed and sponsored by a daily newspaper, aimed at one of its readership-area, nearby communities.

The paper is the Wenatchee World, and the site is the Cashmere World; the town of Cashmere is about eight miles northwest of Wenatchee. It’s not a blog; it’s more like a newspaper web site. There are news stories, conventional stories, mainly on business and sports.

The paper describes it roughly: “This pilot project is Cashmere’s new community website, with the aim of helping Cashmere residents develop their own news and features about their town, their schools, their individuals and businesses. We have been discussing this with community members for some time, and held a training session for the writing of news. This program is not intended for bloggers’ comments.”

Will it work out and provide a model for other papers?