A thoughtful response
Dennis Howlett over at Bazaarz.com linked to AudioActivism as part of a response to Dave Winer’s slam of the NY Times which I applauded. Here are my thoughts for Dennis. So nice to see a civil discussion. So unlike some personal attacks I’ve read. 
Thanks for linking to AudioActivism Dennis! Much respect for all journalists skills, hard work, blood, and sweat.
Your friend in San Francisco is right. Many Americans, myself included, are sick and tired of our media. That’s one reason we are making it ourselves. But many of us don’t call ourselves journalist and never will. Complicated and paradigm changing I know.
On the issue of trust it boils down to knowing someone. No longer do I automatically trust those who make news just because they do it professionally. I trust my neighbors and fellow bloggers whom I have met. (physically and virtually) When they trust someone else they pass along that recommendation. It’s this honnest system of transference that is completely and so terribly broken down in the main stream media.
I dream of a day when my next door neighbor will be better informed about events thousands of miles away than any journalist.
August 11th, 2005 at 4:05 pm
Very kind of you to say so though I doubt some of my former interviewees would be quite so forgiving.
I think there are areas where ‘the man in the street’ will be better informed but not in others. Depends what’s important to you. Having said that, I see there’s yet another NYT flaming at Accuracy In Media today.
August 11th, 2005 at 6:08 pm
Ah but my “forgiving” nature is what’s fueling our discussion. Is it not?
Isn’t it interesting when American conservatives AND liberals bash a paper like the NY Times? Many cable TV channels like Fox vilify them as the very center of “liberal bias”. The fact that there is “bipartisan” anger with main stream media says something. Could it be that it’s failing all of us?
For some clarity it appears to me that:
Accuracy in Media = Conservative
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting = Liberal
Both call in to question the smug gatekeepers of all “the news that fit to print”.