On the grassroots journalism site Orato.com, citizen correspondent Eric Norwood claims he did hard time at the Utah Boys Ranch, alleging he and other teens were humiliated and physically abused there.

The Boys Ranch, now known as West Ridge Academy, says it "shares the good in life" to offer hope to troubled teens.

But in his expose' "Trapped in a Mormon Gulag," Norwood, who was sent to the facility at 15 because he rebelled against his Mormon family, offers a very different picture:

I witnessed some unbelievable atrocities. It is a Mormon-funded and staffed facility, and religious indoctrination is a fundamental aspect of the school. There was sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, suicide, staff corruption, and escape.

When you get past the vaguely Cultural Revolution-sounding "citizen journalist" title, you'll find the article lacks much in the way of details, documents or corroborating witnesses. (It does include an erroneously captioned photo lifted from The Salt Lake Tribune.)

Beyond Norwood's shocking allegations, I find the article interesting as an example of the new frontier of web-based journalism.

Orato bills itself as a "pioneering grassroots citizen journalism website" that puts "a human face on the news by showcasing vivid first-person stories from individuals involved in current events, or living extraordinary lives."

Unlike in traditional journalism, where "I" is a dirty word and subjectivity is suspect, Orato.com actually requires the "I" and the personal perspective behind the story. The result is the story in its rawest form. We get to the heart of the story, literally.

Read it. See what you think. Some people say this — or some hybrid — is the future of journalism.