links for 2009-01-16

  • Kevin: This is a very academic but interesting post looking at changing models of information dissemination and influence. The author comes at this not from a professional journalistic point of view but from a military background. It's worth a read. The author concludes: "I really like Jay Rosen's post, but I see it as a dieing 2D linear model of information control giving way to an emerging 3D, networked, hierarchical, content distribution model with journalists higher in the hierarchy than bloggers, but part of the same network. There is strength in networks, which is why I believe the internet will ultimately strengthen, not weaken as Jay suggests, the authority of professional journalism because building networks will become part of the job. That isn't a bad thing for journalism, larger networks translates to larger audiences."
  • Kevin: Jay Rosen writes: 'In the age of mass media, the press was able to define the sphere of legitimate debate with relative ease because the people on the receiving end were atomized– connected "up" to Big Media but not across to each other. And now that authority is eroding. I will try to explain why.'
  • Kevin: The manager of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer chronicles a busy time and possibly the last 60 days of his newspaper in print. Reading this is like following candidates who knews their losing but still muster the energy and self-confidence to campaign another day.
  • Kevin: Fons Tuinstra, a former foreign correspondent, views the GlobalPost model with scepticism. The compensation is too low ($1000), and an interest in the site won't pay the bills. He also says the business model looks 'scary'. They will put content behind a paywall, and he says that "only drives away potential traffic".