A very interesting article in the Economist about the changing landscape of news in light of recent developments with Newscorp.
It provides a thorough outline of how journalism has evolved with a focus on the influence of social media, and specific examples of how social media has impacted the news since it’s inception in the late 90′s. From the “Rathergate” scandal in 2004 which provoked the resignation of renowned television anchor Dan Rather to the rise of hybrid news sources such as the Huffington post and the viral news of the revolutions in the middle East, this article provides insight into the increasingly important role that social media has in our lives.
Rather than thinking of themselves as setting the agenda and managing the conversation, news organisations need to recognise that journalism is now just part of a conversation that is going on anyway, argues Jeff Jarvis, a media guru at the City University of New York. The role of journalists in this new world is to add value to the conversation by providing reporting, context, analysis, verification and debunking, and by making available tools and platforms that allow people to participate. All this requires journalists to admit that they do not have a monopoly on wisdom.
