06-10-2010, 08:47 PM
Here is some more relevant information to help you make a final judgement this November.
The Government Wants To Save Newspapers And Media Moguls
The Federal Trade Commission has been nosing around how to save journalism and in its just-posted " staff discussion draft" on âpotential policy recommendations to support the reinvention of journalism,â it makes its bias clear: The FTC defines journalism as what newspapers do and aligns itself with protecting the old power structure of media.
If the FTC truly wanted to reinvent journalism, the agency would instead align itself with journalismâs disruptors. But thereâs none of that here. The clearest evidence: the word âblogâ is used but once in 35 pages of text and then only parenthetically as an example of buying ads on topical sites (âe.g., a soccer blogâ¦â); otherwise, itâs only a footnote. The only mention of investing in technology â the agent of disruption â comes on the 35th page (suggesting R&D for tools such as âimproved electronic note-takingâ). Thereâs not a hint of seeing a new ecosystem of news emerge â the ecosystem we study and support at CUNY â except as the entry of nonprofit entities that, by their existence, give up on the hope the market will sustain news.
If the FTC truly wanted to rethink journalism and its new opportunities and new value in our democracy, it would have written this document from the perspective of the people it is supposed to represent: the citizens, examining how we can benefit from news that is newly opened to the opportunity of collaboration and greater relevance. Instead, the document is written wholly from the perspective of the companies and institutions of the industry.
Read more: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-government-is-preparing-to-bail-out-newspapers-and-kill-blogs-2010-5#ixzz0qVEhJbOX">http://www.businessinsider.com/the-gove ... z0qVEhJbOX</a><!-- m -->
The Government Wants To Save Newspapers And Media Moguls
The Federal Trade Commission has been nosing around how to save journalism and in its just-posted " staff discussion draft" on âpotential policy recommendations to support the reinvention of journalism,â it makes its bias clear: The FTC defines journalism as what newspapers do and aligns itself with protecting the old power structure of media.
If the FTC truly wanted to reinvent journalism, the agency would instead align itself with journalismâs disruptors. But thereâs none of that here. The clearest evidence: the word âblogâ is used but once in 35 pages of text and then only parenthetically as an example of buying ads on topical sites (âe.g., a soccer blogâ¦â); otherwise, itâs only a footnote. The only mention of investing in technology â the agent of disruption â comes on the 35th page (suggesting R&D for tools such as âimproved electronic note-takingâ). Thereâs not a hint of seeing a new ecosystem of news emerge â the ecosystem we study and support at CUNY â except as the entry of nonprofit entities that, by their existence, give up on the hope the market will sustain news.
If the FTC truly wanted to rethink journalism and its new opportunities and new value in our democracy, it would have written this document from the perspective of the people it is supposed to represent: the citizens, examining how we can benefit from news that is newly opened to the opportunity of collaboration and greater relevance. Instead, the document is written wholly from the perspective of the companies and institutions of the industry.
Read more: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-government-is-preparing-to-bail-out-newspapers-and-kill-blogs-2010-5#ixzz0qVEhJbOX">http://www.businessinsider.com/the-gove ... z0qVEhJbOX</a><!-- m -->