Big changes in big media?
posted on 07. December 2003 at 11:30 PM
Loic Le Meur prepares the "weblog session" at the next World Economic Forum in Davos and encourages feedback to his blog entry. Doc Searls already published a thoughtful reply, others commented directly in Loic's weblog. Here are my 2 Eurocent.
"Traditional media sources are no longer the primary source of information. Internet news sources, especially non-mainstream sources like "blogs", are challenging the traditional rules of journalism.
Traditional media sources will remain the primary source of information for some core information needs. Non-mainstream sources enrich the media experience and provide additional angles and alternative points of view.
What is core? Some examples that come to mind: Chancellor Schröder visiting China. Earthquake in Turkey. Plane crash in Norway. Civil unrest in Argentina. Only traditional media has the resources in place to cover political events on an ongoing basis. Only traditional media has a global network of correspondents to beam breaking news into your living room. Bloggers, depending on their geographic location, their background, interest, focus, spare time, etc. will pick and choose from the breadth of information covered by traditional media. Where traditional media delivers facts, weblogs give any individual the opportunity to respond immediately. "Meta-blog" sites (like blogdex), search engines, links, TrackBacks, etc. ensure that relevant information will be fed back into traditional media's news stream. Different opinions might be considered. Additional information might be provided. More direct accounts of certain events will become available to a global audience.
Some journalists may become bloggers. Some newspapers will start "blog-like" sites. Traditional media will learn a lot about from weblogs, i.e. how to push certain stories, how to make information more accessible, or how to build better web sites in general. Politicians will use weblogs to buy your vote. My aunt will use weblogs to publish recipes.
Is that a threat to traditional media? Will people cancel their subscription to the Financial Times or The Wall Street Journal due to the rise of weblogs? Will I stop buying the occasional Spiegel or Economist? I don't really think so. Will big media allow employed journalists to blog and use weblogs as sources for information? You bet.
Some days ago a friend reported about clouds of smoke over a fab of a big and famous german company. She told me by IM, that she could see the fire from her balcony. I was very curious. Unfortunately, she didn't have a cam.
But if she'd have a cam, she would have posted some photos on her blog.
BTW: I did not find an article about the fire in the regional newspaper.
Joseph Beuys said: Everybody is an artist.
I say: Everybody is a correspondent ;-).
Rainer, I see your point and of course I agree with your twist in Beuys' statement.
However, what if in a week from today, your friend happens to be out of town and a plane goes down right next to her house? Last time she did not have a camera, next time she happens to be away. Large media networks ensure that there is always someone close enough to do local reporting. As of today, the blogosphere can not guarantee coverage of any event. Chances are, it will be blogged, but it is not a given.
Maybe with ENT clouds and grass roots reporting similar to IndyMedia.org we can get there though.
oops I have made my comments on the wrong entry. Confusing the comments link on the top of the entry, isn't it ?
Thanks for your thoughts.
I just beg to be different ;-)
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