A few days ago, Orato announced they'd be applying their brand of first-person, citizen journalism-based news coverage to the upcoming trial of Robert Pickton, the man accused of killing 26 women (mostly prostitutes) in B.C.

But in an effort to get beyond the "Here are the facts" approach that mainstream media will take -- and even beyond the "Here are the facts...and my opinion" approach that traditional bloggers will take -- Orato decided to enlist two ex-prostitutes to cover the story for the site.

As Paul Sullivan, editor-in-chief of Orato, told the Edmonton Sun, "I'm hoping to get a subjective report or series of reports from these two people that talk about their feelings and recollections, as well as the facts that are presented in court."

It's a bold move that will add extremely relevant voices to coverage of this trial, but it also reflects the kind of innovation necessary these days to create original, interesting coverage of events that attract reporters by the busload.

It's also a fantastic example of how citizen journalism, questionable and unwieldy as it sometimes may be, can open the doors for people intimately invested in a particularly story -- and not just those looking for a place to spout their thoughts and commentary on the world at large.