The Seattle Times kicks off an interesting project today they are calling "The Democracy Papers." It's a look at the role and impact of the media on society. In addition to the intro, it includes:
A full editorial.
A guest essay by an FCC commissioner.
Input from the Times ombudsman.
All are worth reading. In particular, James Vesely's piece calls out the importance of a functioning press, however that is defined, on society. As he says:
The media are much talked about but rarely read about in the country's newspapers. Yet, the press — a better word than "media" — is the coaxial cable that runs through the heart of the country and keeps us in touch with each other.
That voice and its counterpart, the public ear, have evolved into a cacophony of sounds and images, exactly what the Federal Communications Commission warned of when it first established government as the umpire of the nation's airwaves. The umpires are long gone from the world of blogging, podcasting, text messaging, 24/7 news cycles and community channels. The thud on the front porch that is the newspaper at 5:30 a.m. is a delivery system of the 19th century, now sophisticated enough to give near-precise directions for every paper sent flying through the dawn.
But delivery is not message and message is not the same as content. The press and democracy are one interlocking tree and root system, but its branches are spreading and the cost of keeping single voices independent and in the sunlight is becoming high.
Mike Fancher, writing as the ombudsman, adds on by talking about what the Times is doing to reach out to and engage with the "non professionals" (my words, not his) who today *do* provide many of the services and value the "pros" have historically done, looking at the way the paper covered the music event Bumbershoot this year. Doug Kim at the paper drove the project. From the column:
Kim, who was Times arts and entertainment editor for 10 years, spent the past academic year at a Stanford fellowship. Focusing on innovation, he has been thinking a lot about the future of journalism.
"I think a lot of it comes down to control — who has control over journalism and storytelling. I don't think we can survive if we don't let go. We have to change. We have to adapt. We are at the point where we have to experiment with different kinds of storytelling," he said.
The Vera Project Bumberblog was one way to do that. We wanted the young bloggers to be themselves, while embracing the values behind all of our content. We expected them to be accurate and respectful of our readership, without getting in the way of what Kim called "a visceral, authentic experience."
He added, "There is a hunger for stories that hold to the same type of values that are at the core of what we do. People want stories from sources that they trust."
Wow, I'm encouraged. Proof, as always, is in the doing, but the Seattle Times is certainly saying the right things. For years now, I've been blogging about the need and importance of journalism in our lives, and waiting for the existing media to get off their knees and remember what they really do. Maybe we are on our way.