Paradigm Shift: There's More Than Two Sides to a Story
In recent weeks, I started to ask myself why I had given up reading newspapers, or why I had always found their stories predictable and uninspiring. Even when I had gone to the trouble of writing a letter to the editor, it was never published. I never seemed to be part of the newspaper's target audience. I have similar feelings towards politics: it's just one big old boys club with little hope of change and no room for anyone with my interests. I'm glad that social media, or specifically blogging, has stolen some of the news industry's thunder and reminded mainstream media that their point of view is not the only one that matters.
The light came on while I was reading 10 journalism rules you can break on your blog. Rule number three involved adding opinion. "The cardinal rule in journalism is to present both sides of the story," writes Gina Chen. [But] "I’d argue most situations are more gray than that; there are many sides or sides of sides." I couldn't agree more. As a union rep for 24 people, I know that there may be 24 sides to a single issue.
For decades, we've been subjected not only to what news media owners and their advertisers find newsworthy, but also to what the two sides of the story should be. Why couldn't they give more than two sides? Because of time and space constraints. But are these arguments still relevant today?
So where are all the other sides of the story or information that has been left out (or edited)? We add it ourselves, either in a comment or in our own blog post. As for opinion, I am more interested in another writer's reaction to a news story than in the story itself. For instance, rather than read the details of how AIG bilked US taxpayers, I want to hear the taxpayers' righteous anger.
Finally, Web 2.0 has leveled the playing field. Now, via blogs, we can publish or post our own news or what we think is newsworthy. Today, we also have the luxury of expressing our views on an issue through the comments section. In essence, this gives a voice to those traditionally ignored by mainstream media, and all it requires is an Internet hook-up and a computer to have your voice heard. For those of us who don't have a hook-up, there are Internet cafés, and if you don't have a computer, you can always try the public library.
The point is that blogosphere has become a new forum, and we should embrace this welcome change for what it is--a paradigm shift.
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The light came on while I was reading 10 journalism rules you can break on your blog. Rule number three involved adding opinion. "The cardinal rule in journalism is to present both sides of the story," writes Gina Chen. [But] "I’d argue most situations are more gray than that; there are many sides or sides of sides." I couldn't agree more. As a union rep for 24 people, I know that there may be 24 sides to a single issue.
For decades, we've been subjected not only to what news media owners and their advertisers find newsworthy, but also to what the two sides of the story should be. Why couldn't they give more than two sides? Because of time and space constraints. But are these arguments still relevant today?
So where are all the other sides of the story or information that has been left out (or edited)? We add it ourselves, either in a comment or in our own blog post. As for opinion, I am more interested in another writer's reaction to a news story than in the story itself. For instance, rather than read the details of how AIG bilked US taxpayers, I want to hear the taxpayers' righteous anger.
Finally, Web 2.0 has leveled the playing field. Now, via blogs, we can publish or post our own news or what we think is newsworthy. Today, we also have the luxury of expressing our views on an issue through the comments section. In essence, this gives a voice to those traditionally ignored by mainstream media, and all it requires is an Internet hook-up and a computer to have your voice heard. For those of us who don't have a hook-up, there are Internet cafés, and if you don't have a computer, you can always try the public library.
The point is that blogosphere has become a new forum, and we should embrace this welcome change for what it is--a paradigm shift.