Old vs. New

The schools squared off in the Sunday ADG, former journalist now Hollywood show writer David Simon and in-state blog-fly (blogger gadfly) David Kinkade. I highly recommend both essays, and in the best moderate journalistic writing style, I can say that each side makes valid points and each side over-reaches. The truth, as always, lies in between.

Simon has presented the most cogent end-of-times argument for the impact the loss of traditional newspapers could have on the nation.

[The recent publication was of his testimony to the U.S. Senate (in HTML many places, here's one), but Simon has an additional essay from earlier in the year that's equally interesting in the Washington Post (obviously the notes for the later testimony).]

Due respects to Mr. Kinkade who expends a lot of energy countering this, but "high-end journalism" as Simon calls it is not replacable by the blogosphere. There is something to be said for the experience and knowledge that can only come from daily, close proximity coverage.

Primarily, it's the ability to filter what is truly significant from A) a blantant distraction attempt off a trail by a subject, or B) knowing when to press in on something that to the passer by looks inocuous, yet in reality is the tip of an iceburg.

Passion and numbers will help fill that void, according to Kinkade. I'm as open to concept of the citizenry becoming active in media -- let me inject, they need to first and foremost be more active consumers -- but there is a fine line between vibrant participatory groups and pitchforks and torches.

Kinkade hits the traditional media where it hurts when he points out the way newspapers use the boards and blogs as sources, quoting, "the relationship is not parasitic -- it's symbiotic." Or, as I've said many times, the declining newsroom employs the citizen media and the participatory media as a force multiplier. Think of it as replacing those expensive human assets in the field with satellites and technology. Cost effective and you get great snapshots of moments -- but then again, how's that working out for us down at Langley?

I worry less for the republic than Simon because I know there was a land before this time in which partisan media ruled, and we as a nation managed to survive a Civil War, abolish slavery and settle a continent with the pre-corporate mass media of the mid-to-late 20th century.

Let me say as a news consumer, I want both. I want my newspaper content and I want my on-line communities. I want my peanut butter. I want my chocolate. Why can't anyone give me the Reese's of journalism?