Journalism in the age of the open web
Excellent talk by Katharine Viner, deputy editor of The Guardian and editor-in-chief of Guardian Australia. The future of journalism, an open web or a walled garden hidden behind a paywall?
There are few people who know how to make effective use of digital media, I can almost count them on one hand, Paulo Coelho, Amanda Palmer, Imogen Heap, Steve Lawson …
I now have another name to add, Katharine Viner, deputy editor of The Guardian and editor-in-chief of Guardian Australia. Yes, that is correct, The Guardian is now taking on the evil Murdoch Empire in its home territory.
This video is an absolute must watch, for anyone interested in digital media and more than simply what has gone before.
And The Guardian has kindly published a transcript, with lots of external links.
Although she is focussing on journalism, as Paulo Coelho is focussing on literature, books and publishing, and Steve Lawson,Imogen Heap and Amanda Palmer on music, there is much that is transferable.
The traditional newspaper, once put to bed, is set in stone.
And yet, it was no always thus.
As Karen Armstrong explains in her excellent book The Bible: A Biography, the Books in the Old Testament of The Bible were not meant to be written down, the fear was, they would be set in stone, fossilised. They were dynamic documents, a means of living the present day, if not, they were seen as of no utility. A new prophet would come along, and re-interpret what had gone before, giving what had gone before a new utility. One reason why we find much contradiction, The Bible a collection of books, not one book, and the very idea of a collection, was in itself novel.
Journalists act as a filter. The internet, gives us direct access to the source.
I knew what was happening on the ground in Tahrir Square due to sources on the ground.
Why was the big demo, Million Mask March, outside Parliament on 5 of November 2013, but not just outside Parliament, but all over the world, not reported?
We have a problem when the media, our window on the world, is controlled by Big Business, global corporations. As Noam Chomsky has written extensively on, they filter and spin what we see in their interest. Not only Big Business, but government too, though increasingly difficult to tell one from the other.
Paulo Coelho, as a writer, can communicate, interact with his readers.
As can Amanda Palmer, Imogen Heap, Steve Lawson, Zoe Keating interact with those who like their music, but not only that, through a site like bandcamp, can offer their music direct, give advance notice of gigs and concerts.
Steve Lawson writes an excellent blog. Through that blog, people may try his music, go to a gig. Similarly, those who like his music, or attend a gig, may be tempted to read his blog.
Paulo Coelho writes an excellent blog. Those who read his blog, may be tempted to read his books. Similarly, if they read his books, they may check out his blog. Not only that, he interacts through his use of social media, through his blog, through twitter.
Social media, social networks:
- social → interaction
- network → many to many
- not broadcast → one to many
The old print media was broadcast, one to many. The new digital media, is interactive, a dialogue. We no longer have the passive reader, the reader may also be a writer, know more than the originator of the article, the reader may be the originator of the article.
80% of the news in the quality British press (if there is such a thing) is churnalism, that is, they are regurgitating what they have read elsewhere. Only 12% genuine first hand reporting by a reporter. The gutter press simply make it up.
The point Katharine Viner makes on external linking is spot on. We need external links, yet few provide external links, they prefer the walled garden approach, keep the reader captive. Is your content so bad, you have to keep the reader prisoner? But she also adds, people visit their pages because they have these external links, as they know they will find a more comprehensive coverage, and they do not have to go off looking, as the work has already been done.
Recently I looked on the Lincolnshire Echo and on the BBC for news about a pub in Dunholme, planning consent had been granted for demolition. I found what I was looking for, The Lord Nelson, also mention of a local action group. But so irritating, I then had to search for information on this action group. The work must have already been done, so why not pass on to readers? Why not provide a link?
You do not keep the reader captive, you simply annoy the reader with no external links. Nothing is more annoying than reading about something, then having to go off and search for it yourself.
If you are going to write about a coffee plantation, then it helps to have a link to more information. Or if you are reblogging, have the courtesy to link back to the original post, do not try to pass it off as your own. And if you are going to re-blog, add some added value.
Journalism, worthy of the name, is telling the truth those in power do not wish to see told.
Journalism is not manufactured content, journalism is keeping wider society informed on the things that matter.
Old style media, erects a paywall, a walled garden. But why go there when there are open gardens offering far more?
