What is Project Rosie?

This mobile journalism project is part fact checker, part newswire, all rumor-busting beast.

“Color theory: mixed signals” by Jonathan Cohen.

Project Rosie is a mobile journalism tool designed in two parts. The first part will verify or debunk rumors of immigration enforcement along the two-mile stretch of Roosevelt Avenue through Jackson Heights, Queens. The second will distribute that crowd-verified information to area residents, either directly or through nonprofit groups that serve them.

The fact checker

Rosie will rely on daily “check-ins” via text messaging (SMS) from stakeholders who already spend the bulk of their time on that street, who depend on local immigrants for their livelihoods, and who may be immigrants themselves: Roosevelt Avenue’s shop owners and street vendors.

The check-ins will ask participants whether they’ve seen anything unusual that day. If three or more participants on the same city block respond “no,” then it is safe to assume that — well, nothing unusual happened there. No immigration enforcement, no police activity, no rat hoard, nothing.

Green means go!

However, if participants report that they’ve seen something unusual, then follow-up text messages will ask them to describe the activity and to confirm that they saw it with their own eyes (ie, that they didn’t hear it through the grapevine). One can assume that something has gone down when three or more participants on the same city block independently claim to witness the same event — in this case, immigration enforcement (ICE).

Be on the lookout!

Uneventful days will probably outnumber the dramatic, though even a database of the mundane can be powerful in debunking rumors. For example, if a rumor mentions enforcement activity that supposedly occurred in the recent past, then Rosie’s records can be quickly reviewed to determine whether something actually did happen.

REEE-JECTED in near-real time!

The beauty of this network is that it not only crowdsources information for at-risk residents of Jackson Heights, but it also allows me to do some journalism for the small-business owners volunteering their time to Rosie. One of the first stories I hope to cover for them is the effect of February’s immigration-enforcement rumors on the local economy.

Even their responses to the check-in query — Have you seen anything unusual today? — can open investigations into the health hazards of lead paint peeling from the elevated subway tracks on Roosevelt Avenue, or gang activity and its effect on life and livelihood, as examples.

Of course, these business owners can always tell me what interests or concerns them during the many face-to-face interactions that must occur to build trust. They will talk, and I will listen. It’s what I do.

The newswire

Rosie’s newswire will be a separate text messaging (SMS) network that will send daily messages to remind subscribers of their rights as New York City residents. It will also offer practical analysis of current news stories relating to immigration.

One right that New Yorkers have regardless of their immigration status.

The newswire also can be used to send alerts confirming or denying rumors of possible immigration enforcement, based on reports gathered from Rosie’s crowdsourcing network. Determining when and how best to deliver this information to the public requires guidance and direction from local advocacy groups.

The upside to using text messaging as a distribution mode is that it will allow subscribers to submit questions on given topics, thus giving them the opportunity to guide the newswire’s editorial content. And the character limit to text messaging gives me the opportunity to deliver some stories as infographics or other visual representations instead.

The revenue stream

The money-making cog in this machine is in its early stage, and it would be premature to discuss it here. But there will be revenue.

Questions, concerns and suggestions are welcome and appreciated!