The Washington Post is attempting to engage readers by letting them predict the news before it happens. The paper has partnered with Redwood City, California-based Predictify to launch a prediction centre at Predictify.WashingtonPost.com. The partnership will see users build online reputations for good predictions about the outcomes of current news stories.

Predictify is a community platform that aims to harness the wisdom of crowds. The Post‘s integrated version of the tool enables readers to research, debate and predict the future on major political, sports and business events. Predictors are scored and ranked based on accuracy, building a reputation for expertise over time. Predictify then aggregates readers’ predictions into meaningful forecasts, generating unique, crowd-sourced editorial data for the Post.

WashingtonPost.com exec editor Jim Brady says the prediction microsite gives readers a ‘dynamic forum to interact’ with the paper’s brand in a ‘fun and competitive environment.’

Since its launch in October 2007, Predictify has partnered with the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Mashable, and ReadWriteWeb.