New Media vs. Old Media. What about NEW JOURNALISM?

[PretzelWarrior]

I have been watching the tension between old line newspapers, TV, radio, etc. discussing how to contend with fragmented TV audiences with many different viewing choices, tightening budgets for journalist portions of newspapers, tv, wire services, etc.

A big question has struck me in all of that discussion. What would a NEW MEDIA world look like if journalism and business departments were putting their heads together and building something from the ground up? What out of the current reality would they use or discard?

THIS HAS TO DO WITH PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS (just like a discussion about HOW to reform public education and get kids the critical thinking they need to be better citizens ties into whether we live in a functional democracy). We must have some solutions to replace this hodgepodge of ugly rumor mongering and navel gazing in 24 hour news. Maybe it has to be mandated. Otherwise they'll keep racing to beat each other to car chases rather than in depth discussions of the history, culture and politics of Pakistan, etc.

The CNN's and New York Times, and AP, etc. like to say without their brand names the internet would be nothing but a cesspool of baseless claims, overweening radical commentary, and not a clear idea of what to believe. I would say that gets close to describing where we're at.

So....should there be more universal teaching in high schools and earlier about journalistic standards and how to engage in investigative reporting so that anyone running a blog or "news" site has at least been exposed to that? Should there be government subsidies beyond CPB and other outlets so that there is a PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY to get out accurate and penetrating news items that are fair and objective?

What can we say about educating audiences? Shouldn't part of the onus be on our education system and our VALUES systems to respect and seek out truth regardless of whether it agrees with our previously held views?

I'm just spit balling here folks. Because I think we have the opportunity to help make positive steps in a BIG way to clear out at least some of the clutter or reduce it's impact on the public square and general news consumption. I think we need more voices and more choices both in media and in politics. But at the same time, we have to get more people educated and engaged and motivated to hew to journalistic standards in what they publish and try to call "NEWS".

Part of decisions and objectivity around how to cover the news has to do with the elemental question "What IS news?". Must I know that a guy in South Dakota is in a standoff with police if I live in Oregon? Doubtful. And yet, folks like CNN will cover that for as long as they can spike their viewers.

What are your thoughts OTHER than re instituting the fairness doctrine?

[FrenchieCat]

1. We need to do something....

cause it is killing us!

[PretzelWarrior]

2. I'm using this as a brainstorming session and to collect my thoughts

because Time, Newsweek, washingtonpost.com etc are not going to get rid of blahblahblah.blogspot.com or atrios, or even farther into strange land in the internet world.

But...it seems in previous generations the tv networks and newspapers of record were able to put together solid news packages without helping to be an echo chamber for baseless claims. I mean, when some kook was mimeographing and mailing or distributing their right wing or left wing diatribes by hand, were the news stations picking them up and running with them? I don't think so.

I don't necessarily want to be an editor or journalist myself, but I am aware of the need for more citizenship in this regard. I guess in a way each of us makes a difference by deciding to click on outlandish links or watch gutter infotainment news. But I am hoping to see a nascent movement to FUNCTIONALLY shift how journalism and media editors and ownership deal with the new technologies that give us a net GAIN in news value.

[FrenchieCat]

4. I hear you!

Kinda of like clicking to Drudge....when you should not want to (and I don't).

Also, in the electronic media, we need to replace the pundits with actual experts. The masses cannot be informed, if they are getting misinformation.

Barack talks about Laying broadband lines all over America for a reason. He wants all to have access to the Internet.

[political_Dem]

3. a de-FOXification of the MSM would help.

It seems that there are a lot of stations (cable, network and independent) that are trying to fashion their news to look and sound like FOX. That is the first mistake. The FOX-ification of the news cheapens the profession by not being objective, hiring reporters for looks (and not competence) and of course, using the anchor position as a bully pulpit for conservative politics. That ought to stop.

Secondly, we've got to break up the monopolies in the media business. By disallowing corporations to own so many stations in one market, we can diversify the news and make it more competitive instead of the system we have now. All we have is stream-lined dreck built on conformism.


Thirdly, we've got to promote journalists who actually do their job. Stop watching or listening to people who are not accomplished and mainly act as a walking talking point. People write letters praising and damning journalists, don't they? It's time to shame the journalists who aren't helping the news profession and keep on nagging the networks until they hire competent people who are willing to report news objectively without pandering to one side or the other.

In short, our fourth estate is broken. We've got to purge some of the evildoers so that it will heal.

[PretzelWarrior]

5. agreed. I'm not leaving this alone. we can fix this.

as the expert on Saturday Night Live said about the financial crisis:

Step 1. FIX!

Step 2. IT!

Step 3. FIX IT!

Repeat steps 1 through 3 till it's FIXED!

[Bobbieo]

6. Wish it could go back to 'Objectivity'!

[PretzelWarrior]

7. YES! We can do this. I don't mind hearing bad news about "my side"

if it's the truth. I don't mind networks digging in and reporting the straight news if it's negative if it's the truth. Especially if it's relative.

We need to focus on fixing this.