Networked News

“…. can anyone help me?”

New technologies often precipitate a completely new way of looking at the world. It is not only jobs or industries that are overturned, but often what were once assumed to be basic rules of society.

Academy 3 Graduates

The Class of July 29, 2007

Yesterday we graduated our third Travel Academy class at Discovery HQ in Silver Spring, Md.

Travel Channel Academy 3

Travel Channel Pres Pat Younge with Student Sylvia Bahr

Day 3 at the Travel Channel Academy here at Discovery HQ in Silver Spring, Md.

What is News? What Could It Be?

all the news that fits we print….

What is news?

The first newspaper was printed in Germany in 1608, some 150 years after the invention of the printing press.

Its format, for the most part, has not changed since.

The newspaper was a child of Gutenberg’s technology -

That technology set the format for ‘news’ delivery. We gather in the information and ’send it out’ to the public. Later iterations of radio and TV followed suit because those technologies were in many ways similar.

Now, along comes the web.

The natural inclination with any new technology is to plug in old models. Hence, if you go to nytimes.com you will see a newspaper, albeit on the web.

But the web is capable of much more. It is a fundamental transformative technology, much like the printing press, which enables an entirely new architecture.

What does it look like?

The primary characteristic of newspapers is distributive. That is, they distribute the same information to everyone. This is also the model for tv and radio.

But the primary characteristic of the web is an integrated community. Everyone can talk to everyone at the same time. Not the same as a newspaper, radio or TV.

Is it then possible to construct ‘news’ that is reflective of what the web does best?

That is, can we construct a ‘news’ architecture that is not about a few ‘reporters’ delivering information over yet another platform, but rather that is about everyone sharing information, and feedback, with everyone else?

Can this be a different and better kind of news?

John Proffitt, who I think is with a PBS station in Alaska (correct me if I am wrong) writes the following:

I was asked this week by a colleague whether I watched the CNN/YouTube debate. The assumption was that since I’m a “new media” guy I would be interested in seeing it. I was not and I did not see it.

Why not watch?

Because little soundbite answers to canned questions from self-serving media wannabes does not illuminate any of the issues. Just because the web is involved and it’s “new” and “edgy” doesn’t mean it’s good for the democracy. Add to that the false lens of CNN that twists the process to their own ends. We’ve turned over the democratic process to a for-profit corporation. How does all this make sense for us as a nation?

A sustained multi-hour debate would actually get my attention for the very reason that it would (eventually) break through the soundbite artifice and force candidates to finally dig in and deal with issues and show their ideas without coaching.

Anyway — a new model of public engagement and participation is needed. Video is likely to be a big component of that model for reasons cited on this blog before.

So… when do we get started?

Can we put the ‘public’ back in ‘Public Discourse’?

Let’s take Iraq as an example.

The conventional ‘news’ tries to ‘deliver’ information, but it does a fairly poor job.

It cannot get beyond the headlines (which are pretty much a commodity) because the people who work there don’t really know much about Iraq, about Islam, about the history of the region, about the culture about much of anything. So the ‘added value’ is nill.

This is true not only of Iraq, but of any story: economics, oil, health, science.. you name it.

But there are people in this country who are real experts on Iraq… and oil, and science and everything else.  Like Wikipedia, a compendium of shared intelligence and shared knowledge.

On the Today show they might book one or two, or on The Jim Lehrer Newshour – if anyone watched it.

But on the web they can all participate….

We could redefine news… something that has not happened since 1608, so maybe it is time.

We could redefine news to mean a massive, interactive ongoing town meeting constantly being updated with new information.

One gigantic global Wiki dealing in all the important issues of our time.

Using text and video….

And as the web aggregates based on subject, content and popularity….  easily accessible.

A neurological network of our collective knowledge and opinion running 24 hours a day.

Could this be the new news?

Maybe…..

 

Debatable, part 2

Tonight at 7PM…. Lincoln v. Douglass.  Tune in….
In 1858, Abraham Lincoln, Republican candidate for the Senate from Illinois, and Stephen Douglass, Democratic candidate conducted a series of seven debates across the state of Illinois.

In these debates, each candidate began with an opening statement that lasted an hour. Each candidate then responded with a half hour rejoinder. There were then a series of cross-questions. The debates typically lasted for 7 hours.

There were complex issues to be thrashed out – slavery, state’s rights. Properly understanding these things took time.

Audience sat in rapt attention for all seven hours each time.

The issues at hand today are as important and complex as in 1858 – Iraq, global warming, abortion. And as potentially volatile.

But do you think an audience would have the attention span to sit for an hour opening statement by each candidate – let alone 7 hours of political discourse? What would become of any network (or network executive) who committed to something like that?

What would they say at the Today Show were this idea floated?

“Boring!”

Instead our ‘debates’ have become an increasingly dessicated forum for short, snappy soundbites. The late Neil Postman wrote a wonderful book about this entitled Amusing Ourselves to Death.

In it, Postman notes that the demands of television to be ‘entertaining’ would ultimately destroy the fabric of public discourse.

I fear he has proven to be correct.

Postman’s book came to mind when I read “$”’s comment:

An “authentic feel”. This from someone in the newspaper industry.

It’s not about the “feel” it’s about the content. The youtube debate was entertainment. Little or no real issues got addressed. The political process was not advanced by it. It was in fact muddied with ill informed people more interested in seeing their own faces on the screen and promoting their specific viewpoints than in addressing real issues that matter.

Of course you will push “feel” over content. It’s much cheaper to produce.

I am not sure that Anderson Cooper is not also part of ’seeing their own faces’ as opposed to real issues and real debate.

We have all participated in the dessication of broadcast news.  One need only turn on the TV to see what has happened – and look in the White House to see the consequences of an ill informed electorate.

This was our fault.

Now along comes the web which has the potential to recreate and revitalize and redefine news.

We can take the web and just repurpose TV news on this new platform… or

or we can explore how to use this incredible new medium to really engage in a new kind of public discourse.

The only thing at stake here is our future. I think it is worth a shot.

Academy 3

So far… so good…..

Today we start the third Travel Channel Academy here at Discovery HQ in Silver Spring, Md.

21 new students from across the country have convened here for the intensive four-day workshop.

I Have an Idea…..

Palo Alto – Ken sits by the pool and runs the numbers….

My business partner, Ken Krushel and I have been out in Palo Alto trying to raise money for an idea- Citizenews

We started talking about this more than a year ago when we were both speakers at the Eurasian Media Conference in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Letter from Palo Alto

There’s a pile of money buried in here… somewhere…

Ken Krushel and I are out here in Palo Alto this week trying to raise financing for CTZN.TV.

Debatable

All this week, CNN has been running promos for their CNN/Youtube Democratic Candidates debate.

The idea was that anyone could upload a question for last night’s candidates debate and that the candidates would then have to answer it.

Academy 2 Wraps

The Class of July 21, 2007

Today we wrapped the 2nd Travel Channel Academy. Next week we will start again on the third. If this class is any indication of how well this will work, I would like to think we are well on our way to a major new source of content for the internet and the channel.