Journalists and public discourse
I was involved in a discussion recently about whether journalists should be allowed to comment on news stories. My employer, the Journal-World, allows the public to comment on online stories. Quick note: while I may work for the newspaper my experience with journalism at the time of this post is very informal. I am a member of the public, which in my opinion makes this opinion just as valid as any.
Journalists have an obligation to participate in the public discourse so long as they adhere to the principles of journalistic integrity. The delivery of news over an interactive medium allows for a closer relationship between a journalist and their audience. Why should a journalist end a story at the last sentence? Journalists sort through a variety of data to form their story which makes their participation essential in discussing or correcting the presented, edited data.
Journalism’s purpose is to strengthen communities. Journalist forum participation not only enhances a story, it bridges the perceived gap between journalist and reader. I would even bet that over time it would increase participation and readership.
Comments
Brooks Travis
I’d have to agree with you. In fact, I think that some of the more important insights related to an article come from the ensuing discussion. For a great example of this, I would offer Newsvine (http://www.newsvine.com). It allows citizen journalism with a very robust discussion mechanism, and encourages writers to respond to comments on their articles.
Nathan Borror http://www.playgroundblues.com/
Newsvine rocks from what I’ve seen. I just can’t seem to get it in my daily rotation. How does Newsvine’s editorial process work? Do the journalists follow the same rigors of a regular news organization?
Jerry Firman
Newsvine should now be a part of any on-line journalists daily rotation. I have been involved in old time print journalism as well as my current efforts at farmer.newsvine.com. I have found Newsvine to be one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. At present, Newsvine has no appreciable editorial process. AND it works! I have been encouraging an editor be employed for purposes of page layout, distribution of articles and general attractiveness. No other purpose at this time. Newsvine journalists try to follow the standard rigors but Newsvine writers include all shades of writers. Some journalists, some not. All are good community members. Thanks for reading this.
Nathan Borror http://www.playgroundblues.com/
Thanks Jerry. They definitely have a successful model so far. Does newsvine delineate opinion from hard news? I guess thats why its called newsvine, echoing the phrase “heard it through the grapevine.”
Brooks Travis
As there isn’t a formal editorial system in place, there are contributors who don’t adhere to what you (and others) would call the “rigors of a regular news organization”, but, like many large community sites, the “Wisdom of the Crowd” really shows through in what gets promoted to the top. As for adding it to your daily rotation, there are various RSS feeds for the main page, each tag, and each contributor.
Nathan Borror http://www.playgroundblues.com/
“Wisdom of the Crowd” reminds me of a Colbert episode :)
Brooks Travis
Yeah, but how fast were those entries fixed? The Wisdom of Crowds exists not in their inerrancy, but in their mechanisms for self-correction and the depth and breadth of knowledge and viewpoints as compared to a narrowly compiled group, such as a newspaper writing staff or set of encyclopedia compilers.
Nathan Borror http://www.playgroundblues.com/
You make a good point Brooks but the public seems so uninformed lately. Every watch Jay-walking on Tonight Show? I have a problem with trusting factual news outside of the professional realm.
Journalists [“strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.”][1] They collect and present timely facts and stories as we consume and make opinions based on our collected knowledge and wisdom. I think we can add some interactivity to this process by allowing journalists to respond to the community forum as long as they [“maintain an independence from those they cover.”][1]
[1]:http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles “Principles of Journalism”