Great example Thursday online of how we can work collaboratively with the public on getting the best breaking news coverage. It happened with the police shooting/car chase that started in North Ridgeville and ended in Lorain. Aside from the efforts in the newsroom and out in the field by Megan Rozsa, Kelly Metz, Joanne Allen and Debbie Clow, we got big help from a citizen with a camera.

Jeffrey Mrosko Jr. e-mailed me two great photos he took. He happened to be on the spot, while our staff reporter had to get there. His photos are shown here. In one we see the suspect being taken away for medical treatment. The other showed the chase car with an apparent bullet hole in the window.

As the facts emerged, we updated our story several times adding detail, photos and revisions, and also told online readers to see full coverage in Friday's print edition. 

We want to work with community members who have news tips or spot news photos like those shown here.

We also want to help area residents find their journalistic "voice" through our Community Media Lab. We'll help get you started in the world of blogging. It will be your blog. We'll just provide a home for it on our Web site, www.MorningJournal.com.

In the Media Lab we'll tutor you on the basics  needed to start. Then, you do the rest, sharing your news or opinions, working from home. Topics are wide open: neighborhood news, school news, church news, clubs, hobbies, sports. Your imagination is your guide.

As I've said before, the walls are dissolving between the newsroom and our living rooms. Easily learned technology now lets readers also be writers and photographers and shoot video. We're not afraid that some of you might even be able to do it better than we can. What's important is that together, our contributions will all add up to better serve the community's need for news and information delivered in the ways that serve each of us best.

If you would like us help you become a community blogger, let me know. Just send me an e-mail at tskoch@morningjournal.com. And if you've got a hot news tip, or a news photo to share, you can e-mail me with that too.