The trailer to what looks like a fantastic documentary below.
Via: Mindy McAdams
“See the trailer on YouTube. See the promo Web site. Read a review.”
Here’s what bugs me. The last line of the trailer: “Democracy doesn’t have a chance in this world without newspapers.”
Wrong: Newspapers are a product. Journalism is a process. Democracy needs journalism not newspapers – and thankfully the process of journalism can happen outside of newspapers. Or as Nick Carr points out.
“Arianna Huffington likes to say
that her Huffington Post blogsite is becoming an “Internet newspaper.”
There’s just one problem: there’s no such thing as an Internet
newspaper.”
Now, my point isn’t to beat up on people who are obviously talking off-hand. I’m sure Arianna and the person who said “Democracy doesn’t have a chance….” would both quickly agree – newspapers aren’t the only medium to do journalism and that the idea of an ‘internet newspaper’ is technically an oxymoron.
Then why the post David? What are you stuck on?
It highlights how radically different we need to start thinking. What the person means when he says “Democracy doesn’t have a chance without newspapers” is that we need journalism…. and a specific type of journalism … enterprise journalism. It’s enterprise or investigative journalism that hasn’t made the complete migration to the web.
We continue to hear about the collapse of the newspaper industry, but I find more and more independent journalists – some who don’t even know they are performing the duties of a journalist. Journalism is becoming fractured and distributed, which means news organizations need to become open in order to let those individual journalists perform enterprise journalism through them.
The flow of information – it is fast and nimble. Large organizations like brick and mortar newspapers need to rethink their products.
- Newspapers? Nope – I say local news providers should combine with libraries. Become civic gathering places where citizens can become engaged.
- Newspapers? Nope – I say local news providers should get in the business of becoming a platform for citizens to connect – be it in their physical space or their online community space.
- Newspapers? Nope – I say local news providers should be co-ops, community owned and operated where a few people make an honest living but a larger majority support them through small donations and other acts of journalism.
Democracy can and will survive – because journalism isn’t going anywhere. I’d argue journalism is stronger today than ever before. The problem is – we aren’t seeing the money and as a result the suits aren’t happy. I’m not knocking them – I’m simply saying, it’s beyond their peripheral vision – what they should do is turn their head.
And I think Mindy McAdams, who got this whole brain-dump started is thinking along the same lines: “The Internet is already developed. Whatâ??s it best at doing? What are
its native characteristics and strengths? Thatâ??s how an enterprising
journalist needs to think today.”
Right now I’m lucky that in Mark Glaser’s post on what news organizations are walking more than they talk, I fall more on the walk side. I’ve tried to always fall on that side – although I enjoy theory/talk.
My next venture (soon enough): I’ve been experimenting on the content side, mostly in citizen journalism. My next venture will be exploring the business side of professional journalism and how we can keep the process alive and serving democracy.
Update: Also read Jack Lail’s: “Repeat after me, there is no such thing as an Internet newspaper.”