Maggie Jackson and David Nicholas discuss a societal issue where the 'future of journalism' seems a superficial concept to dissect. The times they are a changin'. Honestly I don't care if the news world can 'keep up' with the digital explosion of: information now and information quick. Journalists should not act like third world nations whose drive is to catch up to imperialistic superpowers. Journalists need to take a stand. My generation is on the fringe of lacking substance... I deeply fear for the younger generation who knows no other world than the high-speed wireless. The question is never raised as to whether this is ok.... is it ok that our society is a bunch of robots who don't even know how to breathe anymore? Is it ok that there is no depth to our knowledge? Is it ok that in order to catch and keep ones attention there must be flashing lights, interaction, and bells and whistles?
No.
Ok, the behavior of Internet users is flirty and quick. Must it remain this way? This probably sounds idealistic... but online news MUST detach itself from the typical business models that drive the schizophrenic hysteria of the today's news room. Perhaps it is the fundamental tradition of journalism that is the problem. Finally people have an opportunity for alternative outlets and sources... and people are eating it up, however fragmented as it may be.
I don't want more choice. I don't want more. I want someone to help simplify my life. Let all the corporate news outlets duke it out providing more and more until they crash the network... Provide quality writing. Write the stories they aren't writing about. Keep it real. Keep it manageable.
I'm a but confused as to what Persephone Miel concluded about the Media Re:public think tank, and the conversion he/she made. The one conclusion that did stick out was:
"Despite impressive successes, participation in the online media space is not universal; there are populations and ideas that remain underrepresented."
Is everyone online? What is the majority of topic content online? John Kelly's blogosphere seems to say that online information focus is politics and technology. I read an article in this weeks Nation discussing how no one reads anymore. Libraries are closing all over the nation, because budgets cannot keep them open. Libraries are one of the few locations that provide free Internet access. How many people are actually reading online news/blogs? Are traditional news outlets shrinking in circulation because of the digital age... or are people just not reading the news? When I am home, I still enjoy reading The Buffalo News on Sunday morning while sipping my Tim Horton's coffee and eating timbits, while my mother reads the classifieds. I will continue to indulge in this activity as long as the paper shows up in my mailbox. When I read printed news I read whatever is presented to me. When I read news online I typically read the headlines of nytimes.com homepage or am looking for a particular topic. This concept was discussed in last week's blog articles, but I think is still relevant this week. Are people reading the news? and who is reading the news?
The entire digital scare is out of hand. Participatory news is new. If any ass hole can post his thoughts online, he will do it (just look at me). Blogs right-hand man is conspiracy. Conspiracy is attractive.
A comment in one of the the articles stated that traditional news people are concerned about what is going to happen to their jobs. If you can't beat them, join them. Start your own site. Use the professional skills you acquired in traditional news and produce your know credible articles. Seems simple to me.
Blogs are the latest livejournal, and livejournal was quickly passe and so will blogs.
After this week's readings I conclude:
1. Write quality news
2. Let the corporate man deal with hard news
3. Online should be a realm of investigative pieces, or news the agenda setters are not talking about (which is infinite and more important... lets talk about femicide and the hoax that is the federal reserve... the stuff that The Man won't print because it comes back to advertisers and perhaps the few rich and power families that control this planet)
4. It is all about the topic in the digital world.
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