FIVE IDEAS

I had five ideas today about what's happening with journalism, and some of the driving forces behind the movement away from mass. I haven't fully teased them out yet, but here they are.

1. A lot of "change" isn't. There have always been contributors, people who want to submit letters, columns, photographs, ideas to media. They wanted to be involved, engaged, part of media.

2. Media is ubiquitous and instant. We're surrounded by information: it's a river we swim in. Not only can it be instant, but we expect it to be. When something happens we want to know. Or tell.

3. Mediation isn't needed. A guide is nice when we're seeking information. When we're providing it, we don't need to be "validated" by a gatekeeper. We can do it, so we will.

4. Doing it is easier. I'm not sure we can talk about "tools" any more. The software for getting stuff into the information flow is almost invisible. Create. Press a button.

5. Exposure is breeding creativity. The more we see, the more we get the message: I can do that. Blog. Flick'r. Dotmac. An explosion of readily-available creativity that drives others to do the same, by creating the example, by opening up new ideas of what media content is.
11:45:10 PM  LINK TO THIS POST  

CHANGE, A PIC AT A TIME

Fiftycrows.org bills itself as a site for social change photography. What it is is great documentary photography and video with a point of view.

The titles of some of the photo essays gives a sense of that:

• Mothers of the Disappeared, by Marcos Adandia
• Playing Cards with Nana: Intimate Stories from the Middle East, by Jihan Ammar
• Exile Stories: Intimate Portraits of Tibetan Exile Community, by Tenzin Dorjee
• The Veil as Resistance: Muslim Women and Social Change in Egypt, by Diana Matar

There are currently 18 photo essays at the site, and four multimedia reports. Objectivity remains the goal of much of the media but speaking from a desire to promote change is powerful journalism, too. The web site puts it this way:

We exist to support documentary photographers and to assure that their photo essays are seen by millions of people worldwide. As funding permits, we are creating ways for people to take action and mandate positive social change around the issues raised in the photo essays.

WINNING MULTIMEDIA

This will keep anyone studying multimedia journalism busy: the 2004 Online Journalism Awards. BBC and the Ventura County Star won general excellence awards. Canadian content: CBC won for Canadian election coverage. The page announcing the winners has links to all the sites.
9:42:03 AM  LINK TO THIS POST