Citizen Media Goes Mainstream...Aw, Nuts!

With the advent of blogging, the age-old term "Town Crier" took on new meaning. But believe it or not, the news media can't leave well enough alone. Rather than accept the trend of ordinary citizens sharing news and information without permission from the gatekeepers of public opinion, traditional media outlets have launched their own citizen's media initiatives. In a March 22 article in Online Journalism Review, writer Mark Glaser cites a new editorial position emerging in the news room, that of "citizen media editor."

...a role that's only now coming into focus at various sites such as MSNBC.com, VenturaCountyStar.com, NorthwestVoice.com and News-Record.com.
-- Online Journalism Review

What better way for the ONN (Old News Network) to once again govern its realm? Invite folks to share their stories in a bigger way, a way that overwhelms any online promotional efforts the average blogger can afford. What an enticement!

Why Buy the Cow When the Milk Is Free?
What's wrong with this picture? No one knows for sure, because editorial processes are still in their infancy. But we can all guess how this will probably play out. The news outlet lays claim to any intellectual property posted on its site, so forget about reprinting what you think is yours. The news outlet decides whether this content is worth archiving, so forget about being able to point to it years from now. The news outlet doesn't pay the blogger, but keeps all the associated revenue from Web site advertising and/or archive sales. The news outlet has final say on what is published and what isn't, often at the expense of your freedom of speech. And so on, and so on, and so on.

Not that we all wouldn't mind getting visibility among the journalism elite, but at what price? Excited about the possibility of becoming a citizen journalist for your local newspaper? If you do decide this can work for you, try not to be a media whore. Read the fine print. Be realistic about what you can and hope to accomplish. Then decide if controlling your own editorial destiny far outweighs the 15 minutes of fame you'll get by giving it away to an entity that clearly doesn't deserve it.

[ technorati: grassroots media, big media, mass media, post-journalism, distributed journalism, participatory journalism, participatory media, citizen journalist, citizen journalists, citizen journalism, citizen media, news media, media outlets, media culture, town crier ]