I remember I had a long and ugly debate with Bernard and Sara one night over a couple of bottles of wine. I proposed that with the advent of cheap media devices, and internet community sharing sites, we would not have to rely on the commercial main stream media completely anymore for information on current events. As the media becomes more restricted by the powers that be independent amateur media might be the way forward for democracy.
Examples from the recident London bombing:
- The London Bomb Blast Pool
- Wikipedias ‘7 July 2005 London bombings‘ entry was up to the minute
- London Explosions @ Londonist
Update: Seems I’m not the only one thinking this way.
RUPERT MURDOCH has sounded the death knell for the era of the media barons, comparing today’s internet pioneers to explorers such as Christopher Columbus and John Cabot and hailing the arrival of a “second great age of discovery”
Sydney Morning Herald, 15th March 2006
Traditional media see the world is changing and tries to figure out to do:
“They won’t understand the simplest rule, that your audience is your friend. Your audience is smart. Your audience is trying to help. Let them in to the conversation.”
From ‘Brave New World for Public Media’, wired.com, 02:00 AM May, 16, 2006
hmm an interesting point. i suppose it comes down to choosing to read a leet blog for news or checking out traditional media sites. Its the difference between a well researched, produced and published document versus “the planez flu str8 into tha building!!! Click on the link to see it in flash with Saddam in the backgrnd”
Besides who watches the news anyway?!? Its ALL propaganda (cue x-files theme)