In today’s fast-paced media environment, who can deliver the news more accurately and topically than people already embedded in the subcultures they report on? Nobody.

Never mind complete objectivity—modern readers know journalists aren’t robots and aren’t fooled when they put on the act. Authentic reporting, the practice of complete transparency at every step of the reporting process, is where it’s at.

Otaku Journalist’s mission is to help young and aspiring niche reporters come into their own.

Already on board? Why not start with my niche review course?

If you’re picturing hardcore nerdery, you’re halfway there. Otaku is a Japanese loan word that basically translates to “obsessive fan.” A lot of English speakers use otaku interchangebly with geek, but I believe “otaku” denotes a higher degree of dedication. I think an otaku is anybody with an overwhelming passion for a subject.

You can be an otaku about anything. Crazy for trains? You might be a train otaku. Is your Tumblr full of posts about Disney’s latest animated films? You could call yourself a Disney otaku. I suppose that if you were bonkers about journalism, you could identify as a journalism otaku. But not an otaku journalist. That’s a phrase I made up.

So what is Otaku Journalist? It’s a moniker I use as my own job description, a reporter who is happiest while reporting on fandom. As I wrote in my Otaku Journalist Manifesto, an otaku journalist is somebody who creates her own reporting beat based on her interests, who makes his fan identity a part of his authentic reporting process, who makes her own opportunities in her career.

I call this site Otaku Journalist because its mission is to make ready and willing fans into the best journalists their fandoms have ever known.