The internet, news and democracy
Fascinating article from this week's Economist on the future of media...what impact will the internet have on not only traditional newspapers, news and advertising, but also democracy...
...Technological change has destroyed all sorts of once-popular products, from the handloom to the Walkman, and the world has mostly been better for it. But news is not just a product: the press is the fourth estate, a pillar of the polity. Journalists investigate and criticise governments, thus helping voters decide whether to keep them or sack them. Autocracies can function perfectly well without news, but democracies cannot. Will the death of the daily newspaper—the main source of information for most educated people for at least the past century, the scourge of corrupt politicians, the conscience of nations — damage democracy?...Read the full article here.
2 comments:
I know my 'reading' of the paper has changed over the years with the advent of on-line news.... am I easily led by what I'm seeing on my screen? don't know.......
Online has given news new ways to tell a story, marked changes from the traditional way it's been presented and digested...leaning more toward an 'entertaining' news product. I guess the trick is to remain discerning and know when it's just PR or blogging bullshit. ;-)
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