March 13, 2003
I Want BuzzMachine
I Want Media interviewed Jeff Jarvis, former Old Media guy turned New Media guy, about the intersection and blogging and journalism and newspapers (it's a three-way intersection). Here's a sample:
IWM: How does adding a blog benefit the Web site of a traditional media company, such as a daily newspaper?Jarvis: Anything that serves the reader with more information is good for us. Period. We must be the place to start to find out what's happening in your world, and Weblogs are an inexpensive, efficient and very useful means of doing that.
And another:
IWM: A recent Reuters story on blogs quotes a blogger who says that Weblogs "restore power to individuals with something to say." Isn't that the antithesis of traditional media?Jarvis: It's not the antithesis. It's the future. My own rallying cry is that the Internet is the first medium owned by the audience and, yes, that means that this medium gives them a voice. The wise media entity -- newspaper, magazine, radio or TV station -- will use it to listen to that audience, to find out what they care about and what matters to them and what they have to say. This creates a new and powerful relationship with the audience.
These are two important points for the future of newspapers: More information is better and connection to audience is paramount. The inverse, of course, is that reduced news holes, smaller reporting staffs and editorial aloofness are bad.
Stated so simply, these precepts seem obvious, but mainstream newspapers have always been slow to recognize new readership. This time, since the audience has the technology to make itself heard, maybe newspapers will pay attention.
Links
Jeff Jarvis BuzzMachine
I Want Media Jeff Jarvis: 'Bloggers Are Becoming Influencers'