New and Old Media, Participation, and Information
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March 1
The profusion of low-cost media production and distribution has led to the rise of an alternative citizen-led media sector. Is this a passing fad of enthusiastic amateurs or the beginning of a fundamental restructuring of the way media and news are produced and consumed? Will the current trends lead to more information, better information, and better informed people or to an infinite stream of unreliable chatter? Will it lead to a more politically engaged populace or to an increasingly polarized society that picks its sources of information to match its biases and ignorance?
Readings
- John Nichols and Robert W. McChesney, The Life and Death of Great American Newspapers
- Media Re:public Overview - Read at least the executive summary
- Knight Commission Report on Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy - Read at least the executive summary, recommendations and conclusions
- Nieman Journalism Lab, Four crowdsourcing lessons from the Guardian’s (spectacular) expenses-scandal experiment
- Pennenberg, WikiLeaks' Julian Assange: 'Anarchist,' 'agitator,' 'arrogant' and a journalist
Optional Readings
- Jay Rosen, Open Source Journalism (video)
- We The Media, Dan Gillmor (the Introduction is a good start, so to speak)
- Jay Rosen, Bloggers vs. Journalists Is Over
- Shirky on Social Media