Shamus Toomey is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Block Club Chicago, a media outlet dedicated to giving reliable, hyperlocal coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. It was one of the first news companies that signed on the Civil Blockchain Network, which is now raising its ICO. In this interview, Shamus and Elaine talk about how he came to create Block Club Chicago, the company's partnership with Civil, and how blockchain can be applied at the grassroots level to promote local journalism.
List of Topics Covered in This Episode:
00:00 - Introduction to Shamus Toomey
01:28 - DNAinfo
05:17 - Learning about blockchain and discovering Civil
08:27 - Civil’s offerings
11:39 - Do journalists using Civil need to know about blockchain?
14:30 - Realizing blockchain can help revive journalism
17:31 - Block Club Chicago
19:05 - How does Civil support Block Club Chicago?
24:29 - “Better” journalism and local journalism
28:47 - Risks, challenges, and obstacles with integrating blockchain into the newsroom
30:54 - Civil’s token, CVL
32:10 - Blockchain’s long-term impact on journalism
34:03 - Closing remarks
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