Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News
In Joy Mayer’s So long, “Wizard of Oz” journalism. Let’s make margaritas!, we are introduced to The Wizard of Oz as allegory for how journalists need to engage in conversations with the communities for whom they report.
Being a “Friend of Dorothy,” I was immediately drawn to her choice of metaphor, and decided to ease on down the road of L. Frank Baum’s story (with an urbanized twist, a la The Wiz) for insights and comparisons.
The first observation I had was that the new terrain of social journalism is the vast land of Oz. The way forward, via the Yellow Brick Road, is full of uncertainty and experimentation. And making friends along the way is crucial.
Dorothy is the new kid on the (uptown) block. She had a need and hopes that through conversation with The Wizard, she can reach a solution to her problem. She’s also been embedded in the community and through conversation and social engagement, realized that others around her could benefit from some information. So, off they go together to Em City.
Emerald City, last time I checked, was located somewhere in Midtown near Port Authority. It’s where that old wizard has set up shop, dictating to his mass audience the day’s news and information, and also laying down the rules of engagement. He sits high and (sometimes) looks low. And he knows exactly what you want. A brain? A heart? Some courage? A one-way ticket back to Kansas? Sure. He’s got it.
Dorothy and her ragtag bunch encounter a host of problems (and flying monkeys) along the way, meet with Oz, bathe a witch, and return to The Wizard once more.
They soon discover however, that he is a fraud. Or, more importantly, that they had the tools to achieve their goals themselves. And Dorothy, had become the conduit for them to do so.
Ms. Mayer writes, “I’m here to shed a light on a new breed of journalists who see themselves as participants and work to build authenticity by opening up about who they are and where they come from. By standing for something, even if it’s just their community. By meeting people where they are, and participating in conversations they didn’t start.“
Dorothy didn’t make her way to Emerald City on her own. She made friends with the diverse community of peoples who lived there: dwarves, organized workers (hello, Lollipop Guild!), and a varied cast of community partners, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, who were all in need of information.
Perhaps Dorothy is the personification of social journalism, a way for legacy media to recast journalism for the people and to make for a fuller and more protected democracy if only we connect with those on the ground.
The thing is nobody has to listen to (or subscribe) to The Wizard as the lone-voice of information anymore. Through the smoke and mirrors of his credentials, the great and powerful Oz is just an old white man from Omaha.
We can make it home, if only we believe.
Questions:
1). Much of the reading centered around figuring out where conversations are happening in communities. How do you intend to diversify your list of places to listen to your community’s conversations?
2). Building Street Credibility: How do you measure your credibility within your communities, as a journalist?
