My journalist-blogger colleague Marc Cooper comments on a Truthdig post by Chris Hedges lamenting the demise of the newspaper and the rise of the internet (I am oversimplifying but that's the gist of it.) Marc provides the links to Chris's piece as well as the reactions of other commentators, plus his own acerbic thoughts on the matter. I don't have too much to add except to say that the journalists who have moved at least part of their work online are those who seem to have the most influence these days (yours truly not necessarily, but not necessarily not, included; but, as Marc points out, Hedges most definitely.)Let's read it all through together and think about it. Comments welcome.
Update: Hmm, just fired up my Google Reader and see that Glenn Greenwald has covered some similar territory in a post yesterday called "Who is doing real journalism?" Add this to the files.
More food for thought: "Who's a journalist?" That's the question raised by Scott Gant, a Washington attorney specializing in constitutional law, in an opinion piece in the July 28 issue of the Los Angeles Times. Gant focuses specifically on whether a federal press shield law now being considered by Congress should cover bloggers and others outside the "mainstream media." Gant's piece is nicely nuanced, but his conclusion is clear: "The freedom of the press is a right and a privilege that belongs to all of us. And if Congress enacts a shield law, it ought to be one that reflects the reality that we're all capable of being journalists now."
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Anne G