As of 6 p.m. Thursday, 24 automotive stories have been written on the popular automotive blog Jalopnik, the majority of which were composed by four people. Over on Lifehacker, another popular blog, 20 stories have been written by a similar number of staff writers.
Often these blurbs are comprised of no more than a few hundred words at best, and while these tidbits of information often prove to be interesting and sometimes informative, they are a distraction from the focus of legitimate journalism.
In an era of instant communication, the blogger banks on our willingness to accept breaking news at face value. Thanks to the advent of the web and the 'citizen journalist', we are bombarded with pseudo news at all hours of the day. Shoveling through the encroaching barrage of worthless information becomes a daunting task for readers, as does actually discovering important news.
While timeliness is certainly a virtue for every journalist to have, it cannot and should not become our only focus. At the turn of the century, it was timeliness that paid the bills. To be the first with a story ensured sales and career comfort, but a day was always necessary between writing the story and having it published. Often deadlines were later in the day, giving the writer time to synthesize and well… write.
Fast forward to today’s instant lifestyle.
The news never sleeps, and apparently neither do those with popular blogs. The earliest post on Lifehacker today was at 4:30 this morning. While this may work for insomniac geeks obsessed with (in this case) iGoogle themes, it certainly has no place in professional journalism. Yet its influence is driving the demise of the modern newspaper.
The trend away from solid reporting to on-the-fly news is both disturbing and upsetting to me. As journalists, we are expected to be the Supermen of the news world. It’s not enough for a report to be accurate, honest, and have some depth, but it must also be delivered with the speed and efficiency of a blogger. But therein is the paradox; news can either be instantaneous, or it can be well-written and researched.
This highlights the ethical dilemma of the situation: as journalists, to which do we owe our allegiance? The news has always been timely, that’s what news is. In contrast, journalism is about uncovering truth and sharing general knowledge. How can truth be uncovered in 200 words ten minutes after the fact?
Nevertheless, traditional newspapers are losing to those constantly connected offering opinions on everything from government to sex positions. As unsubstantiated as those opinions may be, it’s their screams drawing readers in.
Be outrageous, be untruthful, be wrong, but be noticed.
On the web everyone has a voice. Our industry views the change with hope in our eyes as ‘citizen journalism’ escalates itself to an unheard of level. It’s often an ideal for people to communicate the happenings of their community with one another. But in a world of ever-increasing clutter and noise, do we really want the news polluted and influenced by anyone with a mouse, keyboard, and an opinion?
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4 comments:
Hey there, great stuff. And amen to citizen journalism as a part of the newspaper demise.
"Be outrageous, be untruthful, be wrong, but be noticed."
-Sally Ho
There are definitely some kinks that need to be worked out, but I think that citizen journalism has an important place in the new media landscape.
It has the power to give voice to those not traditionally represented in the media. It has the power to force our media to diversify.
I think that the media's elitist attitude and unwillingness to change is a huge part of the problem.
But I agree that in the current climate of information overload it is also important for the public to consume media wisely. We should not taking breaking news at face value, not from any media outlet.
There are definitely some kinks that need to be worked out, but I think that citizen journalism has an important place in the new media landscape.
It has the power to give voice to those not traditionally represented in the media. It has the power to force our media to diversify.
I think that the media's elitist attitude and unwillingness to change is a huge part of the problem.
But I agree that in the current climate of information overload it is also important for the public to consume media wisely. We should not take breaking news at face value, not from any media outlet.
Good post. Other than perhaps inserting a bit more identity (who you are in this discussion is an important piece of context), this was near-perfect execution.
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