Frontline: Commentary and Observation

My first observation was that there were plenty of opinions as to where media is going in the next few years. However, I think the commentators all agreed on two things. One: there is, and has been, an inevitable shift in the way media functions. Two: we are living in a a time where "news" is being redefined (if it has ever even really been defined).

Jeff Jarvis was talking about how in this explosion of online media tools and Internet access "anyone can do journalism." The Latin root for the word for journalism basically means "day" or "daily." Being able to report on the events of a day is now open to anyone and I think his statement is so true these days if people have the equipment and passion to document. Not only are we now able to report on the events of a day, thanks to all these media outlets, but can get hourly updates or even minute-ly updates. However, I think a lot of more renowned journalists were focusing on how this info-snacking type thing reduces quality and originality of information. This is definitely something to take into consideration. I also thought it was interesting how the producers of The Daily Show said their product is an indication of other people's failures, not their success. It really made me think about the news situation in this country.

Also, a lot of the speakers brought up the concept of niche. I think the buffet of news is great. There is plenty of news to go around, but readers just need to make sure they are being conscious when consuming content. Maybe a big corporation's story on a topic is better than a small blogger's. But maybe not. Maybe bloggers don't even consider themselves journalists (like that one group featured in Frontline). Regardless, I think in every career people get stuck with the "way" of doing things in their corporate culture. But it's the corporations that are constantly coming up with new ideas and taking risks that end up most successful. This is certainly the time to be creative and original with stories, design, and media tools.