If you need more proof that independent media can hold its own with the corporate-controlled outlets, look no further than Robert Loch’s interview with Rusty Foster on Dotcom Scoop. Foster is founder of Kuro5hin.org, one of the leading community sites in the Slashdot tradition, and writes at length about the present and future states of independent online media.
Unlike most independent content creators on the web, Foster takes the time to express his respect for all working journalists, recognizing the difficulty involved in good reporting while simultaneously voicing his contempt for corporate media businesses. Foster goes on to eloquently state his case for the future of independent, collaborative online media:
“The point is, I think that in time, more people will come to assume that the net is a two-way medium. People like me already think that way. I’m already annoyed every time I have to use a site that only works in the downstream direction. There are more people like me every day. I think eventually the collective pressure will force even the corporate media into the realization that they’re using this medium wrong, and they’ll start to open it up. Of course, then they’ll discover the infinitely deep reservoirs of disgust most of us have for the way they operate, and boy will that be interesting to see. They’ve never really had to confront the public they are selling to their advertisers before, but that day is coming.”
While Foster sees a place for professional media—what others have described as “big J” Journalism—he also sees the importance of the emergence of individual voices—or “little j” journalism inherent in the weblog phenomenon. He says these “little j” journalists are much more free to be creative, but they’re almost always less reliable. Foster predicts that over time this process will regulate itself and “little j” journalists will gain trust through reputation while corporate media will lose trust as we gain access to more diverse voices and perspectives.
Finding our collective critical thinking skills lacking, Foster offers the hope that “people will start to internalize the principle that no matter who reports something, one voice is never authoritative, and that there is no such thing as a wholly objective, factual news report.” The net, with its diversity of voices and perspectives allows us to fact-check virtually any assertion in an instant and discredit of inaccurate or misleading information swiftly and surely. Authoritativeness becomes distributed.
Foster is one of the few observers who believes that any micropayment system is a failure waiting to happen. Not because of any technical reason—Foster points out that any technical issues can be addressed by smart engineers—but for the simple human reason that people despise being nickel-and-dimed at every turn. He uses the example of cellular telephone plans in the U.S. to illustrate his point: we’re never comfortable not knowing what our total bill is going to be.
Neither are subscriptions the answer. Foster advocates the membership model employed by the Public Broadcasting System. Members aren’t entitled to more content than non-members, but they are entitled to certain acknowledgement and maybe a small gift.
If you’re a content creator—online or offline—this interview contains information that is crucial to your career.
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