Journalism

A6hfP. Is the future of serious journalism in the hands of corporate media? As the business models for serious journalism continue to erode where will we get the quality media we need as a society to make important decisions about our future?

I've been warning people: "Special interest groups will gladly pay for the media they want you to read, but you won't pay for the media you need to read. " Software engineers have a saying: GIGO, garbage in, garbage out. If you start with garbage data you will get a garbage result. That's the future we are heading towards, a future where our media is corrupted with information that serves the goals of special interest groups. Take a look at Australia where multi-billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart has been trying to acquire Fairfax Media, publisher of top newspapers, in a bid to counter anti-mining forces. Without our gatekeepers, able to spot corporate spin and BS, how will we make the right decisions about things such as the economy, environment, education, energy, ecology, elder healthcare...

His answer was surprising. How Social Media Is Taking Over the News Industry [INFOGRAPHIC] More than ever, people are using Twitter, Facebook and other social media sources to learn about what's happening in the world as traditional news outlets become increasingly less relevant to the digital generation.

American forces' raid on Osama Bin Laden, Whitney Houston's death, the Hudson River plane landing — these are just a few of many major news stories ordinary citizens broke on Twitter first. Professional journalists, meanwhile, use Twitter all the time to break news quickly before writing up full articles. And the business side is going digital too. Online news now generates more revenue than print newspapers. But the trend toward Internet and social media-based news — and the accompanying rush to be first to report a story — also comes with pitfalls. All this and more comes from the online education portal Schools.com, which pulled research from sources including the Washington Post, Pew Research Center and Reuters to put together the infographic below. How Tiziano Project Beat CNN and NPR in the New Journalism Paradigm. “The next category is Community Collaboration,” says the emcee as we slowly sink down in our seats at the Online Journalism Awards.

We’re resigned to defeat against our formidable competition, which includes both CNN and Andy Carvin for his social media-infused orchestration of NPR’s coverage of the Arab Spring. No way are we going to win this category. “And the winner is … The Tiziano Project!” Cue music scratching to a stop. Wait. I’m still processing. The Tiziano Project | 360º Kurdistan has been a testament to what a small organization with a good idea and a talented, dedicated team can accomplish.