Faking the News
Dan Gillmor is working on what sounds like it should be a terrific book - it's certainly a great topic that deserves considered study.
From Dan's blog:
"The book will explore the intersection of technology and journalism. The working title is "Making the News" -- reflecting a central point of this project, namely that today's (and tomorrow's) communications tools are turning traditional notions of news and journalism in new directions. These tools give us the ability to take advantage, in the best sense of the word, of the fact that our collective knowledge and wisdom greatly exceeds any one person?s grasp of almost any subject. We can, and must, use that reality to our mutual advantage."
He's inviting readers to come forward with content, comments, and critical input for the book in progress. Part of Dan's research for this project involves uncovering clear, referenceable examples that illustrate the seismic shift he's documenting.
I don't think Dan could find many better examples than this morning's post from Doc Searls: All the news that's fit to fool. Go read it. A hilarious example of what happens when old school inkblot media pick up stories off the Net, and forget to run them through their false authority filters.
Amazing and highly entertaining to see this stuff happen.
Perhaps the most astonishing part is how the Chicago Tribune, which prides itself on meeting the "...expectations of our readers, viewers, advertisers and shareholders through the superior quality of our journalism" lifted a story from the Net and gave it full credibility in print, even though the source very clearly describes itself as: All fake. All the time.
"Recognized around the world as the best source for
completely fictional news and information.
When you're not looking for a reliable, accurate site for industry news,
there's only one place to go: Denounce."
Fantastic. There's another mission for Jeff Jarvis here, too - time for someone to go to the source and ask the editors at the Tribune, "Dudes, what were you thinking?"
