A scholarly spin on #HacktheDot

While watching our lovely news programs, have you ever taken a second to think, “Hmmm, what has happened to our news?” Or, “Are the Kardashians really that important?” Well, next month’s hackathon will leave you feeling empowered with ideas on how to create sustainable journalism without the sensationalism.

For any of you that haven’t been #blessed with attending our noteworthy #HacktheDots, this will be the ultimate first-timer.

What is Hackthe.News?

Hackthe.News is a hackathon competition geared towards creating projects that will help journalists tell the stories that actually matter. Hackthe.News will create dialogue between developers and journalists to come up with ways that reporters and news outlets can share important stories while still earning an income to maintain their business.

How does Hackthe.News work?

Hackers will have the opportunity to compete in one of two tracks:

• 2-hour hack projects: In true Hack the Dot style, you’ll show up, be put on a team, and have just two hours to develop a project that could one day be fully developed into something that could help journalists report news sustainably. Sign up here.
• Existing projects: If you’ve created or want to create an app, program, or project that can help journalists tell the stories that matter in a sustainable way, we want to see it. These projects should be fully developed and professional quality. Please send ideas to [email protected].
• Judging: A panel of judges and event attendees will determine the finalists of two hack tracks: one for existing projects and another for 2-hour projects. Winners will be awarded a cash prize provided by Name.com, as well as a membership to Denver Open Media to help develop their ideas.

When and where is Hackthe.News?

Friday, Sept. 16, 5-8:30 p.m. at Denver Open Media. 700 Kalamath St, Denver, CO 80204.

Members of the public are welcome to watch the presentations at Denver Open Media. There will be a free reception for attendees of the ONA, Art&Denver, and Startup Week conferences.

While the website www.Hackthe.News is being launched, teams are invited to email their interest to [email protected]. We hope to see you there!