Abstract: ABSTRACT.In this paper I am particularly interested in exploring the role of journalism in democracy, the ubiquity of social media, the idea of new media as a political force, and the complexity and importance of journalistic excellence. paper aims to analyze and discuss the economic pressures on the news media, the pervasive degradation of news by entertainment values, the explosive growth of social network sites, and the need of democracies for journalistic excellence.JEL Classification: D83, L82, O14Keywords: journalism, democracy, news media, social network1. IntroductionIn the present paper, I focus on the watchdog function of the press, democratic responsibilities of news media, the social and economic effects of Internet technologies, and the commercial monopoly of the mainstream. main objective of this paper is to explore and describe the redistribution of news functions, the transformations and continuities in the media environment, collaborative processes of making meaning from events, and the democratic functions of journalism.2. Collaborative Processes of Making Meaning from EventsShirky focuses on freedom of the press as a relationship between actual technical capability, and a set of legal and policy restraints that envelop and shape that capability, breaking down the media environment and the effect on non-state action into three elements: the synchronization of opinion, the coordination of action and the documentation of results. There is no separation that can be coherently drawn between traditional publishers and the new participants in the media environment. Mainstream media have typically been the most vocal proponents of free speech and the most active opponents of states to restrict that speech. The mainstream media needs to understand that notwithstanding the competitive pressures and the affront to professional dignity, with the digitization of all media well underway, there is only one media environment that matters and controls in that media environment will apply to all participants.1 Shirky holds that the use of social media tools does not have a single preordained outcome, popular culture provides cover for more political uses of social media, access to information is not the primary way social media constrain autocratic rulers or benefit citizens of a democracy, whereas social media have become coordinating tools for nearly all of the world's political movements, and a fact of life for civil society worldwide: the potential of social media lies mainly in their support of civil society and the public sphere, and social media increase shared awareness by propagating messages through social networks (the Internet spreads media consumption and media production, allowing people to privately and publicly articulate and debate a welter of conflicting views). Media play a supporting role in social change by strengthening the public sphere (it is a strong civil society, rather than access to Google or YouTube, that does the most to force governments to serve their citizens). As the communications landscape gets denser, more complex, and more participatory, the networked population is gaining greater access to information, more opportunities to engage in public speech, and an enhanced ability to undertake collective action.2Shirky emphasizes that the participation part comes from a medium that makes everyone who connects to it a potential producer of bits and not just a consumer of them. coordinated voluntary participation is a cognitive surplus that allows us to treat the connected world's free time and talents in aggregate. Citizen involvement becomes a core to our conception of how news can be part of the fabric of society. On the Web, news outlets could act not just as a source of information, but as a site of coordination. former audience is becoming increasingly intertwined with all aspects of news.Journalists have always used tip lines and man-in-the-street interviews, and consumers have always clipped and forwarded favorite articles. …
Publication Year: 2012
Publication Date: 2012-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 4
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