With print journalism among the industries most impacted by the Internet, panelists at a Silicon Valley event Friday debated what possibilities are in store for the news business.
Indeed, the Internet has brought about a revolution in how content is delivered and wreaked havoc on the traditional print ad business model. Panelists, with backgrounds at organizations like the Wall Street Journal and Google, recognized technology trends that could lead the way for journalism, such as e-reader devices like the Amazon Kindle as well as rich content versions of publications. They also pondered content delivery models including subscription-based Web publications and blogging.
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With Internet, anyone can publish anything, even if it is wrong. This is especially true with chain-mails. One example is this one:
"Anti-Gun Senator Shoots Intruder
Long time Anti-Gun Advocate State Senator R.C. Soles, 74, shot one of two intruders at his home just outside Tabor City, N.C. about 5 p.m. Sunday, the prosecutor for the politician's home county said."
Oddly enough, Soles is a long-time firearm rights supporter who has a consistent "A" NRA voting rating, but this doesn't stop on-line papers and e-mails from calling him an "Anti-gun activist". If fools passing that e-mail along succeed in electing someone else, they very might replace Soles with a "C" or even "F" NRA-rated senator.
Most chain e-mails I receive, when checked, turn out to be false.
I suppose reading is the only vice I have left.
If most or all sites had to go the pay route then I would be very selective, only choosing worthwhile, well-written news sources. There’s a reason I pay to receive the Atlantic (Monthly) Magazine but wouldn’t read a free copy of People if it were the only magazine in the doctor’s office waiting room.
Speaking of Magazines, I have always enjoyed their artistic potential and ability to provide researched, exhaustive discussion. Once you start reading quality, in-depth coverage, the broadcast TV 30-minute newscasts are laughable. As for artistic quality, I studied Journalism but have no great love for holding a newspaper in my hands. However, many magazines are beautiful and I would continue to pay to browse them. Publications such as Architectural Digest, National Geographic, and Popular Mechanics are nice to look at and passionate about their subject matter.
One more aspect of print media verses online news is the feeling of actually owning something you pay for verses paying for digital access that is not tangible. I still cannot get used to buying music by downloading it and filing it on my computer and mp3 player. I end up with stuff all over the place and it becomes out of sight, out of mind. It was nice collecting CDs. I have enjoyed my parents’ record collection for 30 years (Thanks for the intro to Bert Kaempfert, Dad.) but have never once asked to listen to whatever they have on their laptops, phones or PDAs. Since we got our first digital camera 6 years ago I have become a better photographer because it’s cheaper when you can take as many shots as you want. But we ended up with a bazillion files that we rarely review and have already had to transfer from one old computer to another to backup drives. There are no handsome albums to browse like the old days and there’s no way we’ll print them all off. I would rather buy a DVD in the five dollar bin than rent one for four. I fear the same intangible regret with online news and magazines, except that day to day I read the news to see current events and trust that someone else is storing it in case I need to reference it later.