Native News Paradigm
OK, I think it is time to lay out a new paradigm. I leave it to you to share your thoughts and add to what I expect will be a new direction in journalism. Here it is:
THE NATIVE NEWS PARADIGM
by Charles Kravetz
News is inextricably bound to its form. Newspapers embrace a form of journalism which is distinct from magazines which is distinct from television. The same must be said of the web. This most powerful and disruptive of technologies cannot long sustain its present role as a secondary distribution source for mainstream media. Journalism which is “native” to the web is inevitable. Native News will begin on the web and be nurtured by it. It will not only embrace the fundamental power of the web, but it will be scaled appropriately to the revenue potential of the web. It will be self-sustaining.
Native news will incorporate the multimedia nature of the internet and the interactive relationship with its audience. It will be regularly updated and digestible on multiple screens: computers, phones, televisions, book readers and whatever new devices emerge in the future.
Native News will proliferate at every level of our society, from the smallest communities to the nation as a whole. It will hold accountable those in power, investigate those who abuse our trust and play an invaluable role in our democracy.
Native News will redefine journalism. It will evolve as the technology and platforms change. And it will become as important and ubiquitous as any form of journalism that preceded it. Those who embrace Native News will discover its power to communicate and enlighten and inform. Those who ignore it do so at their own peril.
Charlie, how are you!?
I think you’re right. You’ve probably heard of Jeff Jarvis, who opines on these issues quite a bit. One of the things that he talks about a lot is how much Google Wave may impact news coverage — allowing many people to collaborate on a story in a seamless manner. I suspect he’s right. Look at what wikis have done to stoed knowledge (encyclopedias), and I think Google Wave’s potential impact to news might be analogous.
Both “This Week in Tech” and “This Week in Google” are great podcasts that actually get into these issues quite a bit.
Hope you are well.
~Thad
[...] Charlie’s manifesto for Native News includes some bold ideas. Note that, among them, is not “let’s pay anchors a ton.” Let Dobbs throw a fit – we’re trying to refocus on the news here. [...]
My concern is whether the quality of news, especially from a watchdog perspective, will significantly degrade on the web, especially compared to print media. Or will it improve?
While different mediums present different news reporting styles and content, it’s clear that as each medium has emerged, reporting quality in general has degraded. Will the web and its citizen journalism deliver the analysis and thoroughness that truly define invaluable news gathering?